Today, I'm taking a look at the chances of each NFL team's head coach potentially getting shown the door when the season ends in a few weeks. Some of these guys already have one foot out of the door, while other guys are already making plans for how the team can improve next season.
So, which coaches are in danger of getting fired?
I thought you'd never ask.
NFL Hot Seats
Arizona Cardinals
Bruce Arians
Record in Regular Season: 25-13
Record in Post-Season: 0-1
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 3
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 1 degrees. Arians has done a fantastic job since arriving in Arizona and isn't in danger of getting fired anytime soon. The only question with Arians is, why did it take NFL teams so long to hire this guy? He's obviously one of the best in the game as he has the Arizona Cardinals currently aimed towards a deep run in the playoffs.
Atlanta Falcons
Dan Quinn
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 50 degrees. Quinn isn't getting fired after just one season in Atlanta. Even though he has had an up-and-down season in his first year, he has nothing to worry about.
Baltimore Ravens
John Harbaugh
Record in Post-Season: 10-5
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 6
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 25 degrees. The Ravens were considered Super Bowl contenders by a lot of NFL experts coming into the season. However, injuries have de-railed this team perhaps more than any other in the league and the whole thing ended up going sideways. That's still not enough to get Harbaugh on the hot seat though. The guy has proven that he's a fantastic NFL head coach and has had the Ravens near the top of the league since arriving in Baltimore in 2008. This season will likely be his first losing season as an NFL head coach and that's just one of the many things that's impressive about Harbaugh's resume.
Buffalo Bills
Rex Ryan
Record in Post-Season: 4-2
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 40 degrees. I don't think Rex Ryan is a very good NFL head coach, but he's not getting fired in Buffalo after just one season. The Bills fans love this guy and he'll get 2-3 more seasons before they get tired of his antics and move on. That's what we call "Rex Ball".
Carolina Panthers
Ron Rivera
Record in Post-Season: 1-2
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 3
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 2
Hot Seat Temperature: 0 degrees. It wasn't that long ago that Carolina Panthers fans were calling for Rivera's head, but now he's the head coach of the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL. He has the Panthers aimed right at the Super Bowl and the only thing he's NOT worried about right now...is being fired. Life is good for this guy at the moment.
Chicago Bears
John Fox
Record in Post-Season: 8-7
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 35 degrees. Much like the other first year coaches on this list so far, Fox has nothing to worry about as far as being fired this season. The Bears weren't expected to do much this season and in their first year under Fox, they have probably exceeded their expectations. They currently sit 4 games out of the division race and 3 games out of the wildcard spot so the playoffs are pretty much out-of-reach, but Bears fans have to be excited for what the future holds with Fox as head coach.
Cincinnati Bengals
Marvin Lewis
Record in Post-Season: 0-6
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 6
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 3
Hot Seat Temperature: 60 degrees. Outside of New England's Bill Belichick, Marvin Lewis is currently the longest-tenured coach in the league. While I think Lewis is safe after yet another good season in Cincinnati, you can't say that with confidence because of one thing. Lewis' post-season record is currently 0-6! If the Bengals once again get to the post-season and lose immediately, Lewis' job is far from safe. Who wants a coach that continuously wins in the regular season only to blow it in the post-season? If you don't think some of that is on Lewis himself, then you don't know much about the game of football. This guy needs to find a way to bring the Bengals a playoff win or he could be watching this team from the comfort of his couch next year.
Cleveland Browns
Mike Pettine
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 1
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 95 degrees. Mike Pettine is a goner in my opinion. The Browns are known for one thing in the NFL and that's being a horribly managed football organization. When the Browns hired Pettine two years ago, people everywhere were scratching their heads. Was this really the guy for the job in Cleveland? I didn't believe so and it looks like I was right. Two years later and Pettine has twice as many losses than wins under his belt and the team has absolutely zero to be excited about for the future. It seems like the whole entire team has regressed under Pettine's guidance and that has to be alarming for Browns fans. Get ready for yet ANOTHER new head coach Cleveland.
Dallas Cowboys
Jason Garrett
Record in Regular Season: 44-39
Record in Post-Season: 1-1
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 2
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 50 degrees. I don't think Jason Garrett is an elite coach in the NFL. I think he's extremely average and if you don't believe me, just look at his record. His overall head coaching record almost sits at exactly .500! His playoff record is also sitting at .500 percent. In 5 seasons as Cowboys head coach, Garrett has only one winning season (besides the 5-3 record he compiled when he took over as interim head coach in 2010) and THREE seasons of mediocre 8-8 football! See what I mean? Extremely average. With that said, he has nothing to worry about as far as being shit-canned this season. Jerry Jones loves this dude and the Cowboys fall from grace this year isn't on Garrett's shoulders, but Tony Romo's. He will get at least one more year to try and take Dallas into a deep playoff run.
Denver Broncos
Gary Kubiak
Record in Regular Season: 71-66
Record in Post-Season: 2-2
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 15 degrees. Kubiak has nothing to worry about. He has Denver in position to enter the playoffs with a high seed and as AFC West champions in his first-year. He also managed to accomplish this task while having a QB controversy on his hands in the middle of the season. Most NFL teams would unravel when that happens, but the Broncos seemingly got better once their starter (Peyton Manning) went down with an injury. That's a good head coaching job.
Detroit Lions
Jim Caldwell
Record in Regular Season: 40-34
Record in Post-Season: 2-3
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 1
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 75 degrees. Just because I expect Jim Caldwell to be fired this off-season, doesn't mean he will. No one can predict what the Detroit Lions are going to do. Caldwell has had a miserable second-year in Detroit though. The Lions were expected to do big things this season and have come out and shit the bed in a big way. They ended up firing almost their entire coaching staff in the middle of the season and things haven't really gotten any better. Whenever a team regresses on-the-field, you almost always have to point fingers at the head coach. Has Caldwell lost this team? It sure seems that way to me and I fully expect a coaching chance in Detroit.
Green Bay Packers
Mike McCarthy
Record in Regular Season: 100-51-1
Record in Post-Season: 7-6
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 7
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 1
Hot Seat Temperature: 10 degrees. McCarthy isn't going anywhere. Don't be silly. He's one of the best offensive coaches in the business and as long as him and Aaron Rodgers are together, they are going to be "Super Bowl contenders".
Houston Texans
Bill O'Brien
Record in Regular Season: 15-13
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 1
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 50 degrees. Some Texans fans may already be calling for O'Brien's head, but I think that would be a mistake. O'Brien is a good coach who is stuck with a team that has no QB. Everyone knows you need a QB to win in this league and even with guys like Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett, O'Brien has done a solid job in his two years in Houston. He really needs to find a QB this off-season though because if he comes out next season and once again finishes around the .500 mark and misses the playoffs....the temperature of his seat will shoot through the roof.
Indianapolis Colts
Chuck Pagano
Record in Regular Season: 39-22
Record in Post-Season: 3-3
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 3
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 70 degrees. It seems weird to me that a head coach who has three straight seasons of 11-5 (which includes deep playoff runs), would be anywhere near the hot seat....but Pagano is. Why exactly? Because things have fallen apart this season in Indy. The Colts made it to the AFC Championship last year. They have one of the best youngest QB's in the league (Andrew Luck) and they were expected to contend for the Super Bowl this season. However, they've been a dumpster fire this year. Their young stud QB has regressed much like the entire team and the coaching staff is calling questionable plays. When things start to unravel like they have this year in Indianapolis, you have to start pointing fingers at the man controlling the strings and that's Pagano. The good news for Pagano fans is, if the guy does get fired in Indy....it wouldn't surprise me at all to see another team pick him up almost immediately (Cleveland?).
Jacksonville Jaguars
Gus Bradley
Record in Regular Season: 12-33
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 2
Hot Seat Temperature: 90 degrees. Will Gus Bradley be fired this off-season? Probably. Does he deserve to be fired? Probably. This is the hardest one to call in my opinion. On one hand, Bradley should probably be relieved of his duties because he's been in Jacksonville for 3 seasons now and the team is still one of the worst in the league. However, they have actually showed some steady improvement this season and one would think that if the Jags gave Bradley another year, he could potentially turn this team into an 8-9 win team next year. Will Bradley get another year? Stay tuned.
Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid
Record in Regular Season: 158-110-1
Record in Post-Season: 10-10
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 2
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 30 degrees. It felt like just a few weeks ago, the Chiefs were 1-5 on the season and Chiefs fans were calling for Andy Reid's head. Here we are a few weeks later, Kansas City is on a 7-game win streak and Chiefs fans are once again in love with "Big Red". Say what you want about Reid and his funky "clock control" skills. You can't deny that this guy is a good football coach. 9 winning seasons in Philadelphia. 2 winning seasons so far in Kansas City (with a third on the way). Are you telling me a team like Cleveland, Jacksonville, or Miami wouldn't kill to have a guy like Reid in charge? Please. Keep giving this guy gruff and he'll keep on winning. That's what he does.
Miami Dolphins
Dan Campbell
Record in Regular Season: 4-4
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 95 degrees. "Man" Campbell took over the Miami Dolphins job on an interim basis when head coach Joe "Softy" Philbin got canned a few months ago. The Dolphins gave Campbell the job because he was the "anti-Philbin" and they were desperate to turn this thing around. And it worked. Briefly. Now they are a dumpster fire again and their franchise QB has regressed in alarming fashion this year. The Dolphins will once again be looking for a head coach this off-season. That's for sure.
Minnesota Vikings
Mike Zimmer
Record in Regular Season: 15-13
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 1
Hot Seat Temperature: 40 degrees. Zimmer isn't going anywhere. If the Vikings don't win another game this season, than I guess he might start next season with a little bit of a hot seat, but as of right now....he's done a wonderful job. He has a young QB, an improving defense, and finally has a running back who's capable of putting up big numbers. Minnesota may not be a "top team" in the league, but they aren't a team you are just going to walk over either.
New England Patriots
Bill Belichick
Record in Regular Season: 222-111
Record in Post-Season: 22-9
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 14
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 1
Hot Seat Temperature: 0 degrees. Best head coach in the league...and it's not even close. 14 winning seasons so far in New England (with a 15th on the way) and only one losing season. That is absolutely incredible. Say what you want about the methods the Patriots use to get wins, at least they get them. Bill Belichick is a football genius and you are a moron if you don't recognize that.
New Orleans Saints
Sean Payton
Record in Regular Season: 85-56
Record in Post-Season: 6-4
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 5
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 2
Hot Seat Temperature: 75 degrees. Sean Payton is one of the best coaches in the league. However, sometimes a guy can wear out their welcome and that appears to be the case in New Orleans. According to some rumors, it appears as though the Saints and Payton are headed for an amicable split this off-season no matter how the rest of the season plays out. That would be a huge mistake for New Orleans in my opinion. It's not Payton's fault that the Saints have regressed big-time since the 2013 season. They have made some questionable draft picks and have had some unfortunate off-the-field issues (BOUNTYGATE) that have resulted in this team's misfortunes. The Saints will fire Payton this off-season and will be stuck in the NFL basement for the next 4-5 seasons. Meanwhile, Payton will take over a team like Detroit and get them to the playoffs next year as Saints fans everywhere question what the guy's in charge are actually doing.
New York Giants
Tom Coughlin
Record in Regular Season: 169-146
Record in Post-Season: 12-7
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 6
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 3
Hot Seat Temperature: 55 degrees. Tom Coughlin has about the closest thing to "tenure" as you can get in the NFL. The guy has 2 Super Bowl titles since arriving in New York and that pretty much gives him the right to decide when he's done coaching this team. The Giants won't fire him no matter how bad the ship gets. However, Coughlin always remains a potential candidate to leave because of his age. He's not getting younger (he's almost 70 years old for crying out loud) and that alone makes the Giants job one that can come open at literally anytime.
New York Jets
Todd Bowles
Record in Regular Season: 11-6
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 5 degrees. Bowles isn't going anywhere. In his first season with the Jets, he has them in the perfect spot to jump into the playoffs and which Jets fan had the playoffs on their minds back in August? None of them. When Geno Smith was getting his face re-arranged by linebackers back in the pre-season, everyone thought Bowles was inheriting an absolute dumpster fire. Here we are with just three weeks left in the season and the Jets aren't only playoff contenders, but they look like they could potentially even scare a team or two if they get there. Fantastic coaching job by Bowles this season and a great hire by the Jets.
Oakland Raiders
Jack Del Rio
Record in Regular Season: 74-78
Record in Post-Season: 1-2
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 15 degrees. Another first-year head coach who is not in danger of being fired due to the tremendous job they've done in the first season. The Raiders have been struggling for years in the NFL. Not only with their on-the-field performance, but also with their coaching staff. It seems like every few years, the Raiders are playing "hot potato" with the head coaching position. That time looks to be over though. Del Rio came into Oakland with low expectations and has positioned this team into a potential playoff contender after just 13 games. If Oakland can win the rest of their remaining games, they will have a winning season for the first time since 2002. That alone would be enough to get Del Rio a statute in Oakland.
Philadelphia Eagles
Chip Kelly
Record in Regular Season: 26-19
Record in Post-Season: 0-1
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 2
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 60 degrees. Chip Kelly isn't getting fired in Philadelphia. Regardless of how bad a general manager Kelly is, the guy is still a tremendous head coach. If you say otherwise, you are either just being a troll or you are extremely uneducated in the game of football. Kelly took over a team that was garbage and has had a winning season every year since arriving in the league. He's also managed to achieve this by having one of the worst QB situations in the NFL. There's only one man who can fire Kelly at this point (the Eagles owner) and all signs point to him being happy with the job that Kelly is doing, regardless of some of the questionable roster moves he's made. Take the GM title off of Chip, but keep the man as a head coach. If the Eagles get rid of him, another NFL team (the Titans?) would jump all over Chip and Philadelphia would end up regretting the decision down the road.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin
Record in Regular Season: 90-51
Record in Post-Season: 5-4
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 5
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 10 degrees. Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the league. He may have somethings to worry about in the off-season, but keeping his job isn't one of them. The Steelers are a wonderfully ran football organization and they aren't going to do something stupid like fire a guy like Tomlin. If this was the Browns, that would at least remain a possibility. With Pittsburgh though? Get out of here.
San Diego Chargers
Mike McCoy
Record in Regular Season: 21-24
Record in Post-Season: 1-1
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 2
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 95 degrees. Even though he has had two winning seasons his first year in San Diego, Mike McCoy is definitely in danger of getting fired this off-season. The Chargers have somehow turned into one of the worst teams in the league this year and when a team regresses in such an alarming fashion, the first person you point fingers at is the head coach. The whole Chargers team is just a mess right now. There are so many questions surrounding this team's future. Will the team make a move at head coach? Is Philip Rivers ready to move on? Will the team stay in San Diego? Just a messy situation right now in "Charger-land".
San Francisco 49ers
Jim Tomsula
Record in Regular Season: 4-8
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 75 degrees. Very rarely do I think a head coach is in danger of getting fired after just one season with a team. However, something tells me that could happen with Jim Tomsula and the San Francisco 49ers this year. Last year when they hired Tomsula, it seemed to me like they settled on him because there were no better candidates. This year, if they have their eye on someone special (Sean Payton anyone?) and think they can do a better job than Tomsula did this year, I feel like the 49ers pull the trigger with no hesitation. With the absolute mess that the 49ers office is right now, nothing would surprise me with this team.
Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll
Record in Regular Season: 90-66
Record in Post-Season: 8-5
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 3
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 2
Hot Seat Temperature: 10 degrees. Pete Carroll isn't going anywhere. Don't be stupid.
St. Louis Rams
Jeff Fisher
Record in Regular Season: 168-155-1
Record in Post-Season: 5-6
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 4
Hot Seat Temperature: 80 degrees. According to reports released this week, the St. Louis Rams aren't going to fire Jeff Fisher and that's huge mistake in my eyes. Fisher is the exact definition of an "average" NFL head coach. The guy's teams have a tendency to finish around the 8-8 mark every season and if that makes you happy St. Louis fans...then by all means, keep the guy around. You want to know how big of a mess the Rams are right now? Fisher hasn't had a winning season since arriving in St. Louis in 2012, yet the top brass has already gave him the "thumbs up" to keep on sucking next season. If you think your favorite NFL team is a disaster right now, at least you aren't the Rams who seems to be content on being average. Who needs to win anyway, right?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lovie Smith
Record in Regular Season: 89-83
Record in Post-Season: 3-3
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 1
Hot Seat Temperature: 60 degrees. I think Lovie Smith is a tremendous football coach and I don't think he's in danger of getting fired this off-season, but his seat could be starting to warm up a little. The Bucs showed some improvement during his second season and I'm 95% sure he'll at least get a third one to show everyone what he can do. It looks like the Buccaneers have found their franchise QB in Jameis Winston and now they need to give Lovie and Jameis some time to get comfortable with each other before they make any sudden changes to the team. The Buccaneers arrow is currently pointing up and that's a lot more than other NFL teams can say at this point.
Tennessee Titans
Mike Mularkey
Record in Regular Season: 18-35
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Hot Seat Temperature: 100 degrees. Mike Mularkey took over as head coach of the Tennessee Titans on an interim basis after the team fired Ken Whisenhunt in the middle of the year. If he thinks he's done enough to earn the position on a permanent basis....he's in for a surprise. The Titans haven't showed any improvement since Mularkey took over and it's pretty much a given that they will be looking for a new head ball coach in just a few weeks. With a franchise QB at their disposal for the first time in FOREVER, the Titans job will become a hot commodity with coaches all over ready to jump on it. You know who's not getting the job though? Mike Mularkey.
Washington Redskins
Jay Gruden
Record in Regular Season: 10-19
Record in Post-Season: 0-0
Winning Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 0
Losing Seasons As Head Coach of Current Team: 1
Hot Seat Temperature: 60 degrees. This will be a situation worth watching over the course of the last few weeks. If Gruden can get the Redskins into the playoffs, he's not in danger of getting fired. However, if they slip up anywhere during the remainder of the season and actually miss out on the playoffs, it wouldn't shock me to see the Redskins fire Gruden and move on. I don't think he's a very good head coach, but he has done a decent job since arriving in Washington. He inherited a team that had a messy situation at QB and he's done the best he can with what the weapons at his disposal. An appearance in the playoffs and an NFC East division crown will definitely give Gruden some leeway though.
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