Head coaches are one of the most important pieces to creating a consistent winning team, and in this past 2025-2026 NFL season and offseason, more than a quarter of the league’s 32 head coaches have been fired.

However, were all of them deserving of receiving the boot, and will their former teams benefit from the change?

Pete Carroll — Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders’ decision to move on from Pete Carroll after a 3-14 season felt justified. Las Vegas fielded one of, if not the weakest, offensive lines and struggled to have any defensive consistency. From week one, this roster looked incomplete.

The larger question in most fans’ minds is why Pete Carroll was hired in the first place. At this stage, the franchise needs a young coach, someone who can stick around for a multi-year rebuild. Carroll has lots of experience and good leadership, but the Raiders needed to pivot toward a younger coach who can grow with the roster, and that’s exactly what they did in hiring Klint Kubiak.

Kubiak is the young, offensive-minded coach this offense needs, especially when they are expected to draft Fernando Mendoza first overall in the NFL Draft to fix their quarterback problem.

Mike McDaniel — Miami Dolphins

Mike McDaniel in Miami was defined by creativity and explosive, flashy plays. However, he often failed when it mattered most. Labeled as an offensive mastermind, McDaniel’s Dolphins dazzled at times, yet he repeatedly failed against tough competition.

A missed playoff berth and a massive offensive regression ultimately sealed his fate. Red zone efficiency dipped, the run game lost balance, and injuries exposed a lack of depth. Overall, however, McDaniel could not overcome poor quarterback play from Tua Tagovailoa, whom he was tasked with developing.

For a team with playoff expectations and a talented core, the offensive innovation McDaniel brought to the Dolphins was no longer enough without postseason results.

The Dolphins were disappointing this year, but McDaniel is still a rather young head coach. Being a head coach proved to be too much, but he could still serve as a fantastic offensive coordinator. The Chargers agreed, hiring him for that role, and now McDaniel will have quarterback Justin Herbert at his disposal.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins have some rebuilding years ahead. They replaced McDaniels as head coach with the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, a defensive-minded coach. In the end, the Dolphins are going to be stuck in football purgatory for the next few years, unless newly signed Malik Willis can reach his full potential.

Brian Daboll — New York Giants

The Giants’ 2-8 start forced the ownership’s hand; Brian Daboll’s firing should be a surprise to no one. The offense struggled behind shaky protection and inconsistent quarterback play, and when injuries piled up on offense, it was over for Daboll.

However, Daboll’s work with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart showed promise. Dart’s confidence and production were great before the coaching change, and his statistical dip afterward suggests that maybe Daboll was responsible for Dart’s surprising promise this year as a franchise QB. 

Regardless, the Giants hired John Harbaugh to replace Daboll, which is a massive win for New York Giants fans. The Giants added arguably the best defensive-minded head coach to an already impressive defensive roster.

Recently, Daboll was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, so he will get to work with another young quarterback in Cam Ward, the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Brian Callahan — Tennessee Titans

Brian Callahan’s tenure in Tennessee ended abruptly after a 1-5 start, with an offense that never established rhyme or rhythm. The Titans ranked near the bottom of the league in third-down efficiency and struggled to stretch the field vertically.

Injuries, along with a terrible offensive line, complicated matters. With a rookie quarterback and a roster in transition, the Titans need a head coach who can help develop Cam Ward into a true franchise QB.

Other teams have been able to turn around bad teams with strong quarterback play.

For example, the Saints lost 11 games this year, but still won because young offensive-minded head coach Kellen Moore was able to greatly develop rookie QB Tyler Shough. That is what the Titans need, and Callahan clearly showed he was not capable of that.

The Titans will most likely end up with a better record next year. (They went 3-14 and can really only go up.)

However, after the questionable hiring of Robert Saleh, maybe improvement isn’t a sure thing. Saleh was the Jets’ head coach from 2021 to 2024, and he has never posted a winning record as a head coach, making him certainly an unconventional hire.

Kevin Stefanski — Cleveland Browns

After six seasons, the Browns shut down the Kevin Stefanski show following another depressing campaign for Cleveland fans. Stefanski delivered moments of success, including playoff appearances, but overall, he was a disappointment. It did not help that his quarterback position was a revolving door. (Cleveland has had a whopping 13 different starting quarterbacks in the last six years.)

Quarterback instability persisted as a recurring theme. Despite a playoff-capable defense, Cleveland’s offense frequently failed to complement it. The franchise ultimately determined that a new voice was needed to be competitive. If the Browns wish to make the playoffs, they have until defensive end Myles Garrett retires. 

Firing Stefanski was absolutely the right move for the Browns because they were not going anywhere.

However, the hiring of Todd Monken raises many eyebrows as well. He was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens last year and was considered the main reason they missed the playoffs. Maybe the Browns know something we don’t, but Monken is already 60 years old and does not seem to bring much innovation to the team.

Overall, the Browns are likely to be a bottom-ten team again next year, as they are most years.

John Harbaugh — Baltimore Ravens

Among the league’s more surprising moves was Baltimore’s decision to part ways with John Harbaugh. The Ravens remained competitive and disciplined under his leadership, consistently positioning themselves in the playoff picture.

Offensive inconsistency was what appeared to be the more pressing issue. The offense’s refusal to use Derrick Henry when it mattered most was a huge issue. However, the argument could be made that Baltimore needed a coordinator change, not a head coaching one.

Saint Paul’s sophomore Charlie Kingrea believes Harbaugh’s departure marks a significant shift for one of football’s most consistent franchises. “I think it is going to be hard to replace Harbaugh. Under his coaching, the Ravens won the Super Bowl, and he coached a QB who won 2 MVPs,” Kingrea said.

The replacement for Harbaugh is the Chargers’ Defensive Coordinator, Jesse Minter. He is a younger head coach and can grow with the team. The hiring seems promising because the team does not lose out too much on Harbaugh’s defensive expertise, while getting a coach more aligned with new-age football.

In the end, the Ravens roster is good enough to make the playoffs for the next few years, regardless of who Baltimore has as head coach. That said, the Ravens probably won’t see any more or less success without Harbaugh, despite his successful coaching career.

Raheem Morris — Atlanta Falcons

Raheem Morris’ dismissal came after a season marked by underachievement relative to roster talent. Atlanta struggled in late-game situations, and defensive lapses repeatedly cost the team in close contests. This was particularly problematic because defense was supposed to be Morris’s calling card.

When similar breakdowns surface week after week, it eventually becomes noticeable that the head coach is the problem. With an extremely talented offense and being in one of the weakest divisions in football, the Falcons needed a reset to fully capitalize on winning now.

The Falcons were almost guaranteed to be better next year, but then they hired Kevin Stefanski. It is an extremely odd hire, given all the coaches on the market for a new team. The team fired Raheem Morris to replace him with the offensive version of Raheem Morris.

Jonathan Gannon — Arizona Cardinals

Jonathan Gannon’s tenure in Arizona ended with a simple question: Where was the progress? While the Cardinals’ roster remains a work in progress, the team lacked everything under head coach Gannon. No one knew if Kyler Murray would be a starting QB or a gamer.

Competing in a demanding division requires a great deal, including the rapid development of young talent and innovation. Gannon failed to develop Marvin Harrison Jr. into the star receiver he was expected to be, and outside of tight end Trey McBride, there really were no bright spots on the Cardinals.

Arizona showed flashes, but not enough growth to justify patience from the ownership. Gannon deserved to be fired, and the hiring of Mike LaFleur should bring brighter days to Cardinal fans.

LaFleur is coming off an excellent offensive coaching season, and after the high target usage WR Puka Nacua had last year, Marvin Harrison Jr. should see his first 1,000-yard season in the NFL and a massive leap forward.

Sean McDermott — Buffalo Bills

Sean McDermott’s departure signals the end of an era in Buffalo. The Bills consistently contended under his leadership, yet postseason failures ended his career.

Many believe that McDermott may not have deserved to be fired, but it was needed if the Bills want to maximise Josh Allen’s abilities.

“I don’t think it was deserved, but it was still a good move by the Bills because they needed a culture change and can’t waste Josh Allen’s prime,” Saint Paul junior Lane LaBorde said.

McDermott failed to win in the playoffs. He even failed to win when two of their biggest competitors missed the playoffs: The Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. In the end, it didn’t matter what his success was in the regular season if he failed to compete when it mattered most.

The promotion of Joe Brady (formerly of the Saints and LSU Tigers) to head coach is well deserved. He has done nothing but succeed since his hiring in Buffalo. The Bills expect to be contenders next year, and it will be exciting to see how Brady works the chemistry between Josh Allen and newly acquired WR DJ Moore.

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Feature Image Photo Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images