Seven weeks of NFL action are officially in the books, which means that head coaches will start being fired sooner rather than later. The NFL is a performance-based game, and there is a reason that “NFL” unofficially stands for “Not For Long.” Several coaches on this list only recently started their careers as head coaches, while one other name is one of the most iconic football minds of his generation.
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7 Coaches That Will Be Fired
Dennis Allen
The New Orleans Saints spent the offseason adding a new quarterback and eating absurd amounts of dead money in order to earn a playoff spot in what was supposed to be a weak NFC South. Instead, the team is arguably worse now than they were in 2023. Derek Carr is having one of the worst seasons of his career, second-year wideout Chris Olave appears unmotivated, and the team is currently 3-4. When so many units are collectively not playing up to their potential, you have to look at the coach. Dennis Allen crashed and burned during his first stint as a head coach with the then-Oakland Raiders, and it doesn’t look like he’s improved with time.
Matt Eberflus
Nobody gave out more guaranteed money in the offseason than the Chicago Bears, and none of it has gone to good use. The defense is a mess and the coaching staff spent the first month of the season trying to turn Justin Fields into a pocket passer. The jury is still out on whether or not Fields can thrive in an ideal environment, but he definitely won’t fit in that scheme. Coaches need to adjust their schemes to the abilities of their players, and the ones that aren’t capable of doing that usually end up getting fired. Even with Fields sidelined due to an injury, there is no excuse for the current state of the Chicago Bears.
Brandon Staley
Brandon Staley is living just about every coach’s dream. Justin Herbert is one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, and the team is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Despite this, the collective unit is far, far less than the sum of its parts, and that type of underachieving stems from poor coaching. Staley nearly lost his job last year following the team’s disastrous meltdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and right now it looks like the team made a mistake by not firing him in 2022.
Ron Rivera
Ron Rivera is not a terrible coach, but he’s not a good one. Basically, here’s one of those guys who is just good enough to avoid losing his job, and any team under his control is basically stuck in NFL purgatory. Rivera has been Washington’s head coach for four years and has yet to record a winning season, and that probably won’t change this year. He’s earned the right to finish the season, but if he can’t turn this ship around, he’ll probably be one of the fired coaches at the end of the year.
Josh McDaniels
The Las Vegas Raiders probably would have fired Josh McDaniels last year if owner Mark Davis had the financial resources to do so. Now, the team is 3-4 and just suffered a blowout loss to the woeful Chicago Bears. It’s clear that McDaniels is not the answer, and he might not last the season.
Bill Belichick
Far and away the most controversial name on this list, Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history and whoever comes next will never come close to matching the Patriots legend at the peak of his powers. Unfortunately, the rest of the league has caught up to Belichick, and it might be time for the team to move on – one upset win against a Buffalo Bills team that struggled to beat the Giants doesn’t change this.
\Since Tom Brady departed following the 2019 season, Belichick only has one winning season and has yet to secure a playoff win. Life without Brady was never going to be easy, but there is no excuse for the 2023 Patriots to look this terrible. Perhaps his rumored contract extension might keep him around, but if money isn’t an issue, then there is a good chance the legendary head coach won’t be on the Patriots sideline next year.
Frank Reich
Frank Reich is only in his first year with the Panthers, but there is a chance that he will join the list of fired coaches at the end of the season. The Carolina Panthers are the NFL’s lone team still looking for a win, and while nobody thought they’d be competing for a Super Bowl, they were supposed to be better than this. Ultimately, his job security probably comes down to the development of Bryce Young. If the first-overall pick can continue to improve on a weekly basis, Reich will probably earn a second season in Carolina. If not, then the Panthers will once again restart their search for a head coach.
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