The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants were the first teams to fire their head coaches ahead of 2026, with Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll being let go during the season.
Those teams should get some considerable company for job openings soon. In the 2025 offseason, seven teams replaced their coaches. In 2024, that number was five.
Here's looking at which coaches are most in danger of joining the fate of Callahan and Daboll:
MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture after Week 15
NFL coaches on the hot seat
Hot
Raheem Morris, Falcons
Morris was supposed to be an improvement over being stuck in 7-10 purgatory with Arthur Smith for three consecutive seasons. There has been a QB transition from Kirk Cousins to Michael Penix Jr. And some key injuries, and a change of defensive coordinators from Jimmy Lake to Jeff Ulbrich. Morris showed he might be the right guy with a bump to 8-9 last year, but the Falcons are regressing from that this year and defense continues to ba major issue. If Atlanta sticks with Morris, he will need to come through with playoffs in 2026 or lose his gig after three years like Smith did.
Jonathan Gannon, Cardinals
The 42-year-old hasn't delivered much for Arizona in his three all-losing playoff-less seasons taking over for Kliff Kingsbury. The jump to 8-9 in 2024 from 4-13 in 2023 showed promise, but now it's back down to double-digit losses. Will the rash of offensive injuries give him a reprieve? Or will the breakdowns for the defense cost him? With the team looking like it will move on from Kyler Murray, it may want to make a clean QB-coach break and start over with a new correlated combination.
Warm
Zac Taylor, Bengals
Taylor is still buying time from his Super Bowl 56 run with Joe Burrow, but now the slow-starting theme has been traded for a choppy finish and more bad defense. After that AFC championship in 2022, Taylor was extended to be under contract through 2026. The Bengals might side with continuity over a sideline jolt to table the Taylor decision, depending on how they finish.
Kevin Stefanski, Browns
The Browns started 37-30 in his first four seasons, including two 11-win trips to the playoffs. But the team has gone 3-25 since with larger QB issues developing in the transition from Baker Mayfield to Deshaun Watson to Shedeur Sanders. He's a tough one to call and go either way depending on the mindset of team officials. It's 50-50 he stays.
Lukewarm
Mike McDaniel, Dolphins
McDaniel seemed doomed after his team started 1-6. But then it reeled off a 5-1 run to get back into back-end AFC wild-card contention at 6-7 going into the Week 15 Monday night game in Pittsburgh. But the rally based on offense and improve defense says in reality he is getting this team to overachieve.
Shane Steichen, Colts
Steichen's critical third season started with a 7-1 bang but after seeing his team go 1-5 to trend closer to last year's 9-8, he's not out of the woods despite the injury to Daniel Jones. He is likely to get one more year to build on the early positive momentum but the pressure to get to the playoffs would mount in 2026.
Aaron Glenn, Jets
At one point, the seat seemed very hot with the team starting 0-7 in his rookie tenure, but they have gone 3-3 since then despite losing some key talent to injury (Garrett Wilson) and trades (Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams). He'll get a shot to spark the turnaround in 2026.
Cool
Dan Quinn, Commanders
Quinn had Washington in the NFC championship game a year ago. Jayden Daniels, leading the rash of injuries plus a defense in need of more rebuilding, will save him to try for a needed rebound in 2026.
Pete Carroll, Raiders
Carroll cut ties with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham also may be let go so Carroll is back on track, trying to get back to his best days in Seattle. The more likely scenario is that he feels the return is too much and he retires before he turns 75 next summer.
Kellen Moore, Saints
The Saints knew that Moore was working with a bit of a bare cupboard when he took over at only 36 (now 37). The lumps from the rebuilding dumps were expected. New Orleans needs to help him a lot by boosting the personnel.
Dave Canales, Panthers
Canales has done well to have Carolina on the brink of stealing the NFC South from Tampa Bay with some much improved play from Bryce Young and a team that is building some big wins on its resume with the defense also playing much better. The pressure, however, would be on, to push the Panthers into the playoffs next year if it doesn't happen this year.
Brian Schottenheimer, Cowboys
The Cowboys moved on from Mike McCarthy and the team is responding well to Schottenheimer with special offense. The key will be fixing the post-Micah Parsons defense and that's on Jerry Jones to keep working the needed overhaul.
Kevin O'Connell, Vikings
The reigning AllSportsPeople and AP NFL coach of the year has had his first bumpy offense-minded season with J.J. McCarthy taking his rookie-like second-year lumps. But he will be entrusted to get them back on track in 2026.
John Harbaugh, Ravens
Harbaugh needs a break here as this has been an injury-riddled season with his team facing a tough schedule. He's not getting a pass because of his Super Bowl glory past, but because he's proved himself over again. The team doesn't want to see him winning at the next stop, which he will like his brother Jim.
Mike Tomlin, Steelers
Pittsburgh fans are caught in limbo with Tomlin because despite their lack of recent playoff success, he's still getting the team to overachieve and win most when things are lost. The annual ritual of trying to push him out is silly, given that he would be hired in an instant to turn around another team. Tomlin needs better personnel help and a long-term QB answer to get a shot at that elusive third Super Bowl trip.