NFL Coaching Hot Seat Rankings: Who's Already on the Hot Seat in 2026?
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Half of the NFL’s 32 teams have changed head coaches over the past two years, including the Las Vegas Raiders doing so twice. So the odds are strong that plenty more will be fired over the next 12 months, too. That means that even though Week 1 of the 2026 season is seven months away, the pressure is already on several coaches. Here are the ones who’ll be sitting on the hottest seats when the games begin. 10. Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones is painfully patient with his coaches, and the last one he fired after just two seasons was Chan Gailey (1998-99). But he’s also used to winning. The Cowboys just suffered back-to-back losing seasons (including one under Mike McCarthy) for the first time since the disastrous Dave Campo regime (three straight 5-11 seasons between 2000-02). If the Cowboys don’t get back to the playoffs next season, are we sure Jones won't make a change? He’s going to be 83 later this year. He’s convinced he’s got a Super Bowl contender. And a ready-to-win Cowboys team might be the one opportunity that could lure Mike Tomlin back to the sidelines for 2027. 9. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers He just got a multiyear contract extension, but since when has that mattered (anywhere outside of Cincinnati)? New team president Ed Policy was unsure enough about LaFleur last year that he made him twist until the end of this season. Part of that is because the stakes are high in "Titletown" and LaFleur’s Packers teams haven't made a deep run in five years. His 76-40-1 record is stellar, and it’s great that he’s made the playoffs six times in seven years. But he has one playoff win since the 2021 season and a 3-6 postseason record overall. If the Packers slip next season or fail to get beyond the divisional round of the playoffs, that contract extension might not be enough to save him. 8. Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders It feels unfair to put him on this list, given the sheer volume of injuries that ruined the Commanders' 2025 season — especial
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Half of the NFL’s 32 teams have changed head coaches over the past two years, including the Las Vegas Raiders doing so twice. So the odds are strong that plenty more will be fired over the next 12 months, too. That means that even though Week 1 of the 2026 season is seven months away, the pressure is already on several coaches. Here are the ones who’ll be sitting on the hottest seats when the games begin. 10. Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones is painfully patient with his coaches, and the last one he fired after just two seasons was Chan Gailey (1998-99). But he’s also used to winning. The Cowboys just suffered back-to-back losing seasons (including one under Mike McCarthy) for the first time since the disastrous Dave Campo regime (three straight 5-11 seasons between 2000-02). If the Cowboys don’t get back to the playoffs next season, are we sure Jones won't make a change? He’s going to be 83 later this year. He’s convinced he’s got a Super Bowl contender. And a ready-to-win Cowboys team might be the one opportunity that could lure Mike Tomlin back to the sidelines for 2027. 9. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers He just got a multiyear contract extension, but since when has that mattered (anywhere outside of Cincinnati)? New team president Ed Policy was unsure enough about LaFleur last year that he made him twist until the end of this season. Part of that is because the stakes are high in "Titletown" and LaFleur’s Packers teams haven't made a deep run in five years. His 76-40-1 record is stellar, and it’s great that he’s made the playoffs six times in seven years. But he has one playoff win since the 2021 season and a 3-6 postseason record overall. If the Packers slip next season or fail to get beyond the divisional round of the playoffs, that contract extension might not be enough to save him. 8. Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders It feels unfair to put him on this list, given the sheer volume of injuries that ruined the Commanders' 2025 season — especial