Sportsnaut
Seven NFL coaches were fired this past season, marking another year of significant movement in the coaching carousel. While a few notable head coaches survived another year, it’s apparent that they are on tenuous footing heading into the 2025 NFL season.
Let’s dive into our rankings of NFL coaches on the hot seat, starting from those under the most pressure to head coaches who might have a bit more leeway heading into the regular season.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll narrowly avoided being fired after a three-win season in 2024. Despite his history of clashing with assistant coaches, Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen received a vote of confidence from team owner John Mara. This support allowed them to use a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Jaxson Dart and bring in veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to provide some immediate stability.
New York hopes that a healthy offensive line and improved quarterback play, combined with a potential top-12 defense, can at least give the team a chance to win eight games in 2025. Failure to do so would mark Daboll’s third consecutive season with double-digit losses. Given how difficult the Giants’ schedule is this season, falling short of that goal seems likely. Daboll might last the entire season, since New York rarely makes in-season firings, but it seems almost certain he will be out of a job after Week 18.
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Jim Irsay loved the Indianapolis Colts and was known for being very loyal to those he hired and trusted within the organization. This loyalty is one of the reasons general manager Chris Ballard is still in place, despite the fact that he has built a team that has not won a playoff game since January 5, 2019. Following Irsay’s passing this year, both Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen are squarely on the hot seat.
Steichen showed a lot of promise in his first season, winning nine games with the 10th-highest points per game (23.3), despite Gardner Minshew and Zack Moss being his top quarterback and running back. In 2024, Indianapolis went 8-9, but that included a 4-6 stretch over the final 10 games. More crucially, he has been unable to get any positive development out of Anthony Richardson. It is hard to see the results with Daniel Jones being any better in 2025. If the Colts fail to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season under Steichen, new team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon will have an opportunity to give the franchise a fresh start with a new general manager and head coach.
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