After Week 16 in the NFL, 14 teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Others are fighting for their playoff lives. Of those squads, some will have big personnel decisions to make at the end of the season, including at the top.
These seven head coaches are among the NFL hot-seat coaches who could be on the chopping block. This list does not include interim head coaches, as we assume those positions will be filled through open searches.
Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are five years removed from winning Super Bowl LV, led by Tom Brady. Todd Bowles was the defensive coordinator that year, and the Bucs boasted the fourth-best unit in PFSN’s Defense Impact metric.
Bowles’ leadership earned him the head coaching gig, and while he’s had some success, it’s not been nearly enough to guarantee him job security. Bowles has posted a 34-32 record over his four seasons as head coach in Tampa Bay, per Pro Football Reference. He’s above .500, but that’s still well below expectation.
After winning 10 games last season, the Buccaneers were the favorites to win their fifth straight NFC South title. Unfortunately, they’re sitting at 7-8 entering Week 17, after losing six of their last seven games. Even regaining full strength hasn’t helped.
According to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor, Tampa Bay has a 37.8% chance of winning the division and making the playoffs. If the Bucs miss out, Bowles’ days have to be numbered.
Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders
Certainly, a 2-13 record wasn’t what the Las Vegas Raiders’ brass expected when they hired Pete Carroll as head coach before the season. A well-respected coach at the college and pro levels, Carroll has enjoyed plenty of success, but watching the Las Vegas team this season has been brutal.
He handpicked his quarterback in Geno Smith, and it hasn’t panned out. Ashton Jeanty’s rookie season has been underwhelming. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly got the boot. Maxx Crosby is chewing out his teammates. There’s nothing that Carroll can do to save this lost season.
With a bottom-5 offense and defense in PFSN’s Impact metrics, it’s clear this rebuild could last at least a few more years, and a 74-year-old Carroll isn’t the right man for the job. Why would he want to even stay on board for this massive undertaking? This could be an unfortunate end to an otherwise legendary career.
Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
It has become increasingly difficult to make a case for the Arizona Cardinals to retain Jonathan Gannon. The franchise has made the playoffs just once since 2015 and has never won a Super Bowl, so it would be unfair to expect Gannon to be a miracle worker. However, there was hope that things were trending in the right direction when Arizona went 8-9 last season after back-to-back 4-13 finishes.
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Instead, the Cardinals are 3-12 with just two games left, tied with the Jets, Titans, and Browns for the second-worst record in football. Arizona has lost seven straight games, allowing 40 or more points in four of those defeats. That’s an indictment of the defensive-minded head coach. Gannon’s unit has a 67.7 PFSN Defense Impact grade, which ranks 26th in the NFL.
The Cardinals have also been mediocre on offense, ranking No. 20. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was unable to find sustained magic with the Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr. pairing, so he could be on the way out, too. This team is in rebuild mode and needs to start fresh.
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals trounced the Dolphins in Week 16 to the tune of 45-21. However, that might not be enough for Zac Taylor to save his job. It has been four years since the Cincinnati Bengals made their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988, and they’ve missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.
In Taylor’s defense, Cincinnati played without franchise quarterback Joe Burrow for a large chunk of the season. Still, in a must-win Week 15 game against a Ravens team that they beat up on Thanksgiving, the Bengals lost 24-0.
This is a team that has appeared out of sync on and off the field for much of the season, and Burrow appears to be unhappy. It’s hard to have any confidence in Taylor moving forward.
However, questions remain about whether Bengals fans should have confidence in the leadership’s ability to find the right man for the job.
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Kevin Stefanski is a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year winner, and that speaks for itself. He seems to be getting the benefit of the doubt, but what has he done for the Cleveland Browns lately? That old hardware can only get him so far.
“I don’t want Kevin Stefanski to develop the next quarterback, I don’t,” – Rizz says it’s time for the Browns to get a new HC.
Do you agree? https://t.co/ZFfYPIOsJz pic.twitter.com/NyTNBf9tig
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) December 22, 2025
The Browns have posted only two winning seasons in Stefanski’s six seasons at the helm. They likely overachieved in both campaigns, so it was fair to give him some grace during the down years. However, this season has proven that his leadership is a shell of what it was in years past.
Cleveland has completely mismanaged the quarterback situation this season, from start to finish. The front office deserves plenty of blame as well, but plenty falls on Stefanski’s shoulders. He has also made several head-scratching play-calling and game management decisions.
The jury is still out on whether or not Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel could be the Browns’ franchise quarterback, but it’s difficult to imagine Stefanski sticking around to find out.
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins’ brass finally parted ways with general manager Chris Grier this season, while Mike McDaniel held onto his job as head coach, at least for the time being. After posting back-to-back losing seasons, that job should be far from secure.
To play devil’s advocate, Miami rebounded nicely from an atrocious 1-6 start, winning five of its next six games. However, with their playoff lives on the line, the Dolphins folded under pressure, losing to the Steelers and Bengals by a combined 37 points.
Widely considered one of the brightest offensive minds in the game, McDaniel orchestrated an elite offense that ranked second in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric in 2023. The unit has since regressed dramatically over the past two seasons, finishing No. 15 in 2024 and ranking 18th this season.
McDaniel’s willingness to bench Tua Tagovailoa may have bought him some time, but the Dolphins fan base is growing impatient.
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
John Harbaugh is probably the least likely of these head coaches to get canned, considering his close relationship with owner Steve Bisciotti. However, Harbaugh’s time should be up.
Winning in the NFL is extremely hard, and Harbaugh has done a lot of that during his 18-year tenure as Ravens head coach. Baltimore won Super Bowl 47 and has made a dozen playoff appearances under Harbaugh. However, this team has consistently underperformed in the postseason since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
The Ravens’ struggles this season, along with questionable personnel decisions and game management, raise the question: Is it time to move on from Harbaugh? Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs aren’t walking through that door. It’s hard to defend a 7-8 record for a team that had legitimate championship aspirations entering 2025.
Considering the success former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is having in Seattle, Baltimore should regret letting him leave the building.
