Future Hall of Famer is one of the 9 NFL coaches on the hot seat heading into the 2024 season

The job of an NFL head coach is one of the most sought-after positions in all professional sports. It is the pinnacle of the coaching profession in the most popular league in America. That is also why it is one of the most scrutinized positions in sports.

There are only 32 jobs available for those who want to lead an NFL program. Coaches are blamed for everything - from saying the wrong thing in a press conference, to a costly penalty, to taking a risk that doesn’t pan out. And anything else in-between.

Bearing that weight, along with all the other unscripted NFL chaos, is why the turnover rate is so high. A head coach's end can go the path of Josh McDaniels and Frank Reich, who were fired mid-season, or Pete Carroll, who was moved to a new position within the Seattle Seahawks’ organization after the season. And, of course, there are guys like Brandon Staley who was simply handed his walking papers after another bad year.

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Typically, around seven or eight coaches are let go, as teams try and find the next Bill Belichick (who was just fired) or Andy Reid. With that being said, let’s take a look at the top 10 coaches on the hot seat as we head into the 2024 season.

Robert Saleh, New York Jets

Robert Saleh has had more lives than a cat since he took over the Jets back in 2021. He came in and together with GM Joe Douglas, chose his quarterback of the future with the second overall pick in Zach Wilson. After failing to make Wilson look anything close to an NFL quarterback, Saleh was given a gift from the football gods when Aaron Rodgers signed with the Jets before the 2023 season.

With a dozen year playoff drought on the line, the Jets saw one of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation in Aaron Rodgers join the team to revamp the offense, tutor Zach Wilson and hopefully lead the Jets back to the playoffs. When Rodgers went down four plays into the season, Saleh was given another pass on missing the playoffs. That won’t be the case this year with so much on the line. It’s playoffs or unemployment for Saleh in January.

Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints

We are long passed the days of the powerhouse Saints offense led by Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Payton abandoned the team when he saw what life would be like without future Hall of Famer Drew Brees and left Dennis Allen trying to pick up the pieces.

Allen has gone through three difference starting quarterbacks since taking over in 2021 and none have looked any better than the last. Allen hasn’t been able to take advantage of a wide-open NFC South and has essentially led the team to purgatory where they aren’t good enough to make the playoffs, and not bad enough to get the star player they need in the draft. One more season hovering around .500 will be enough to give the Saints the excuse to hit the reset button.

Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears

Another coach on the list who is out of lives and out of excuses. If not for a 5-3 run to end the season last year, Eberflus was 5-21 in his first two years as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Now the team has jettisoned the ultimate “is he good or is he bad” quarterback, Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers and brought in “can’t miss” Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. They also drafted Rome Odunze and brought in veteran Keenan Allen to make the transition as easy as possible on Williams.

Chicago not only made the change at quarterback, but the change at offensive coordinator, relieving Luke Getsy and handing duties to Shane Waldren. There’s only so many stops on the firing train you can make before you eventually get to the head coach. There are no more excuses for Eberflus to not at least make the playoffs even in a very tough NFC North.

Brian Daboll, New York Giants

Two years ago, it would have been shocking to see Daboll’s name on this list considering how well he performed in his rookie season. He revitalized the career of Daniel Jones, and it looked like the Giants finally had the coach and QB combination that had been missing since Eli and Coughlin. He even grabbed a playoff win in 2022. But the Giants were a mess in 2023 and Daboll clashed with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale which eventually led the veteran defensive coach to walking and Jones looked lost in the games he did play.

The Giants have been quick to get rid of coaches, as no coach prior to Daboll made it more than two seasons since Coughlin retired. The Giants had an opportunity this year to draft a replacement to Daniel Jones but appear to be sticking with the former Duke product for at least one more season, this time with true number one wide receiver Malik Nabers. Daboll’s tenure with the Giants might be tied with how well Jones plays this season, and that is anything but a safe bet.

Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills

How does a guy in his eighth year coaching the same team with a 73-41 record and perennial MVP candidate at quarterback find his way in the top five of coaches on the hot seat? Simple – a 5-6 playoff record. At some point you can pencil the Bills for a top-three seed in the AFC and a loss before reaching the Super Bowl.

McDermott’s Bills have failed year after year to reach the big game and have only gotten to the AFC Championship game one time. At some point, making the playoffs (even as one of the top seeds) is not enough. McDermott is the first coach on the list who could make the playoffs and still lose his job.

Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys

When Jerry Jones is involved, the seat is never too cool, even if Jerry has been more than patient in recent years. Jerry wants the next Super Bowl so bad he is willing to do anything to get it, including firing a coach who has three straight 12-win seasons. Granted those 12-win seasons ultimately led to early playoff exits. The Cowboys are 1-3 in the playoffs under McCarthy.

With beloved defensive coordinator Dan Quinn now the top guy in with the Washington Commanders, and Dak Prescott headed into the final year of his contract with no extension in sight, things might be adding up to McCarthy looking for his third head coaching job next season.

Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

Staying in the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles might be looking for a new head coach by next season. After going 14-3 in just the second season of his head coaching career and eventually losing in the Super Bowl, Sirianni looked like one of the next great young head coaches in the league. And that look continued into last season when he started 10-1 before an epic collapse. The team would win just one more game the rest of the year—narrowly beating the lowly New York Giants starting their third-string quarterback—and were embarrassed by the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round.

Sirianni is not looked at fondly around the league as his bombastic personality often rubs people the wrong way. He gets in shouting matches with refs, players, and even fans. If things don’t turn around for the Eagles this season, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sirianni is shown the door.

Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars

Speaking of epic collapses, the Jaguars saw their stroll into the playoffs last season vanish before their eyes. After starting the season 8-3 and looking at a potential one seed in the AFC, the team lost five of its last six games to end the season and missed the playoffs. Their lone win came at the hands of the Carolina Panthers who were easily the worst team in the NFL last season.

Trevor Lawrence got his big pay day this offseason to the tune of five years and $275 million, which only puts more pressure on the team to win. If the team misses the playoffs again in 2024, GM Trent Baalke might find himself given a pink slip, and a new GM would likely want to bring in his own coach to get the Jags back on track.

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

If Sean McDermott and Mike Tomlin are on the hot seat, then John Harbaugh certainly needs to be feeling a little heat on his bottom. Like the two mentioned above, Harbaugh is great coach that may be seeing his message run stale in the same organization for so long. Harbaugh won a Super Bowl in 2012 against his brother’s San Francisco 49ers, and since then he has won just three playoff games in the last 11 seasons. His 9-4 postseason record in his first four years as head coach has followed a stretch of 3-6 in recent years.

Last year he had a 13-win squad that was putting up 28.5 points per game score just 10 at home to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. He has been the top seed in the AFC three of the past six seasons and only has one win in those years. The Ravens paid Lamar Jackson a hefty sum, and if the Ravens can’t find a way to get him a Super Bowl, then it may be the coach who is on the outs.