Who's on the Hot Seat in the 2015 NFL Offseason?

The offseason hasn't even begun in the NFL, but there are plenty of people around the league who shouldn't feel comfortable in their office chairs.

Black Monday claimed several head coaches and general managers (Rex Ryan, John Idzik, Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, Mike Smith, Jim Harbaugh), as is the case every year. But it inevitably leaves a few behind, giving them one more opportunity for redemption.

Let's take a look at some coaches and GMs—and even a prominent player—who might be on the hot seat heading into the 2015 season based on results from recent years.

Joe Philbin, HC, Miami Dolphins

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Stephen Ross must not believe in sunk cost.

The Miami Dolphins owner has fielded nothing but mediocrity since buying the team, and he has been slow to pull the trigger on personnel moves over the past seven years.

Case in point, it took a bullying scandal and a late-season collapse for Ross to can general manager Jeff Ireland, who had been a favorite target of Dolphins fans for years to that point.

Head coach Joe Philbin is in the crosshairs now, having taken his team to an underwhelming 23-25 record since taking over three years ago. Philbin was a candidate to get fired after the Dolphins faded yet again late in the 2014 season, but Ross' sense of loyalty seemed to get in the way yet again.

Philbin was not only retained, but rumors swirled the Dolphins would try to sign him to an extension, per Chris Perkins the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

An extension will surely be unable to save Philbin should Miami falter yet again, however. Ross couldn't possibly be that loyal, could he? 

Reggie McKenzie, GM, Oakland Raiders

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General managers often get a longer leash than the coaching staff if a team is unsuccessful, and that is quite obviously the case in Oakland.

Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie has been unable to build anything resembling a competitive team after three years on the job. True, he has had to navigate the treacherous waters that come with no cap space or early draft picks in his early days there, but those days are now long gone.

Oakland has a ton of cap space ($49,531,324, the second-highest total) and another high draft pick this year (No. 4 overall). The Raiders also have some nice, young players on that roster and a new head coach in Jack Del Rio who should be an upgrade to Dennis Allen and Tony Sparano.

Theoretically, the Raiders should see a big improvement in 2015. If McKenzie cannot improve the roster to get the Raiders out of the AFC West cellar this season, his time might be up.

Tom Coughlin, HC, New York Giants

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When will Tom Coughlin retire? 

It seemed likely the stalwart Giants coach might do that—voluntarily or otherwise—after New York posted yet another disappointing season in 2014 at 6-10. It marked the third year in a row Big Blue missed the postseason.

Were it not for two improbable Super Bowl victories in the past eight years, Coughlin may have been long gone. Coughlin's obituary was already being written last season, as noted by CBS New York's Ernie Palladino:

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For the two titles alone, a classy pair of owners like John Mara and Steve Tisch would likely sit Coughlin down after the season and convince him that his legacy among Giants coaching greats is secure; that he has their undying gratitude along with a nice chunk of change to take back to his Jacksonville home, but that it is time to go.

They should impress on him that the end comes for everyone, even those who set life examples through their tireless preparation and emotional leadership. They should recognize that he still had the locker room, that what has happened these past three non-playoff seasons may be his responsibility, but not his fault.

Then it will be up to Coughlin to show the same kind of class the Giants showed when they retained him after 2006, and step gracefully aside. He has earned a comfortable exit.

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Alas, Coughlin announced he would be back this season, and the Giants will have one more hack at doing something with the oldest coach in the league. Another slow start could spell doom for the 68-year-old, however.

Jeff Fisher, HC, St. Louis Rams

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The truth is, Jeff Fisher might be untouchable in St. Louis for a few years yet. The Rams weren't in great shape when he got there in 2012, and he has brought them to perennial mediocrity. He has also had to do it ostensibly without a viable quarterback for most of that time.

Still, Fisher cannot rest on his laurels as a .466 coach over the past 10 years—.431 over the past five. Quarterback or not, there has to be a breaking point for a fanbase of a team that cannot get out of the NFC West cellar, right? 

The Rams have gotten progressively—albeit slightly—worse since Fisher took over, despite a defense that has played lights-out at times. He needs a strong offseason, but more importantly he needs the team to actually get better in the standings.

Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears

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Jay Cutler's seat isn't hot; it's nuclear.

The embattled Bears quarterback has used up all of the goodwill Chicago pointed his direction when it traded for him in 2009. Some were even burning his jersey in the middle of the season.

Cutler has been oft-maligned for a number of reasons. Body language? Cutler's stinks. Interceptions? Tied for the league lead (18) with Philip Rivers in 2014. Injuries? Some people think Cutler is as soft as they come.

The potential has always been there, and Cutler has flashed it at times with one of the best arms in the NFL. That's why the Bears traded for him in the first place, and it's why they signed him to a $126.7 million extension just a year ago.

Unfortunately for his doubters in the Windy City, that probably means they are stuck with him for the immediate future. That is, of course, unless the Bears can find a trade partner—trade rumors and speculation swirl, per Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer.

Gus Bradley, HC, Jacksonville Jaguars

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It has been a couple of years since the Jacksonville Jaguars exorcised general manager Gene Smith and head coach Mike Mularkey. 

The duo left the cupboard bare, and Jaguars fans were knowingly in it for the long haul as the team was set to rebuild. Hence, the fact that Jacksonville has continued to dwell in the AFC South cellar should be of little surprise.

The fact they actually beat out the Houston Texans (2013) and Tennessee Titans (2014) to avoid last place in the division should be of no consolation, considering the Jaguars have owned the No. 3 overall pick in consecutive drafts now.

Jacksonville is still in the middle of a rebuilding process, but the results should start to come in soon. The Jaguars drafted their quarterback of the future last year in Blake Bortles, and they enter free agency with the most money to spend ($60,769,652). They have another high draft pick to boot.

Without some marked improvement in his third year, head coach Gus Bradley's seat is going to warm up in a hurry.

Ruston Webster and Ken Whisenhunt, GM and HC, Tennessee Titans

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It's odd to think a head coach would be on the hot seat after just one season, especially when he took over a team that wasn't very good to begin with. For Ken Whisenhunt, last season couldn't have gone much worse.

As though a millstone was tied around their necks, the Titans sank to the bottom of the league, finishing 2-14. They narrowly missed out on the No. 1 overall pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Whisenhunt and his general manager, Ruston Webster, were both on the hot seat in the middle of the season, and it's a wonder they weren't both canned. Of course, that roster isn't going to do them any favors right now. The Titans need a full makeover, one that has already begun after they cut 2014 free-agent tackle Michael Oher after a disappointing year.

Perhaps drafting a quarterback early will buy these two some time—after all, the Titans need a signal-caller, and rookie quarterbacks not named Andrew Luck can't be expected to get to the postseason.

Thomas Dimitroff, GM, Atlanta Falcons

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It was a pretty easy call to predict Mike Smith's ouster in Atlanta after the Falcons flailed their way to a 6-10 season after going 4-12 in 2013. It was also easy to tie general manager Thomas Dimitroff's fate to his head coach's.

Dimitroff survived Black Monday and lives on, but the threat of expulsion hangs on by a thread like Damocles' sword over his head. 

The Falcons haven't done a good job keeping up with the Joneses when it comes to roster construction. Despite some nice pieces (Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones) on a team that was a few quarters away from a Super Bowl just a couple of years ago, there are a ton of holes to fill, especially on defense.

Owner Arthur Blank isn't likely to tolerate another disappointing season from a team Dimitroff built.