We’ve still got a long way to go until we officially reach “Black Monday” in the National Football League.
However, the Las Vegas Raiders’ decision to fire head coach Josh McDaniels on Tuesday proves those decisions don’t always take as long. Las Vegas fired McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler after a 3-5 start. McDaniels, a longtime offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, went 9-16 in 25 games with the Raiders. He is 20-33 in 53 career games as head coach and is the first head coach in NFL history to be fired before the end of his second season by two different teams
McDaniels, though, probably won’t be the only head coach shown the door this season. With that said, we’ve highlighted five coaches who now headline the NFL hot seat after McDaniels’ firing.
Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders
The Commanders started their teardown Tuesday ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Washington traded star defenders Montez Sweat and Chase Young in separate deals and received a second- and third-round pick, respectively. The expectation is Rivera will finish out the campaign, but Washington would be wise to move on. During his four years with the franchise, Rivera is 25-32-1, and one of his teams hasn’t finished with a winning record since 2017. Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio shouldn’t be too far behind either.
Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers
A defensive-minded head coach, Staley’s defense is a major problem. The Chargers rank 31st in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed per game. LA is below .500 and in danger of missing the playoffs despite the talent on the roster including Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, etc. In the midst of his third season with the organization, Staley is 22-19 in his 41 games. However, the most concerning development this season is the lack of development of Herbert. As the face of the franchise, it feels like the 25-year-old signal-caller would benefit from an up-and-coming offensive mind.
Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears
Eberflus is 5-20 in his two seasons with the franchise. And similar to Staley, the defensive-minded head coach is at the helm of one of the worst defenses in the league. Chicago strangely spent a second-round pick for Sweat at the deadline, though that falls more on general manager Ryan Poole than Eberflus. Nevertheless, Chicago currently is in position to have a pair of high draft picks. And the organization would be wise to move on from Eberflus and pursue an offensive-minded coach to develop its next franchise quarterback, as it doesn’t look like that will be Justin Fields.
Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bowles is 11-13 in his first 24 games with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay’s defense has forced turnovers as well as anyone, but its offense has left a lot to be desired with Baker Mayfield behind center. It’s long been speculated Bowles could be shown the door. And with the Buccaneers sitting behind both the Falcons and Saints in the NFC South, a few more crushing losses could prompt the decision.
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Disclaimer: We’re not of the belief Belichick will be shown the exit midseason. But the amount of smoke regarding Belichick’s future is difficult to ignore. Recently, countless NFL insiders have said Belichick’s contract that he reportedly signed this offseason does not necessarily mean owner Robert Kraft won’t part ways with the future Hall of Famer. Should Kraft want to bring in a general manager to take over Belichick’s personnel duties, the coach who brought six Super Bowl to New England might feel inclined to start elsewhere.
