Hot Seat Check for Every NFL Head Coach

December is here, and Black Monday is looming in just over a month. 

Two NFL head coaches have already been axed, and several are fighting for their jobs entering the home stretch of the 2025 season.

Setting aside interim coaches Mike Kafka of the New York Giants and Mike McCoy of the Tennessee Titans, let's take a leaguewide temperature check.

Ice-Cold

AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

Mike Macdonald

Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

Five Super Bowl appearances in a six-year span leaves Reid in a block of ice, even if there's a decent chance the Chiefs miss the playoffs this season. At this point, any departure would be voluntary. 

Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have been a little off this season, but they're still a first-place team that won the Super Bowl in 2024. Sirianni also has the fifth-highest qualified regular-season winning percentage in NFL history. 

Sean Payton, Denver Broncos: The Broncos took a huge step forward with a playoff appearance in Bo Nix's rookie season, and now they're running away with the AFC West. Payton is locked in. 

Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

Although the Rams don't have the talent they used to possess, McVay continues to position them for potential Super Bowl runs. This season is no exception, and he's got Matthew Stafford on a career year at age 37. 

Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers

Shanahan had the 49ers in the Super Bowl just two years ago, and four years prior to that with a different core. The fact that he again has the 49ers in the thick of it despite so many injuries has him totally secure. His continued success with whoever he's handed at quarterback is a bonus. 

Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers

One of the most accomplished and esteemed coaches of this era, Harbaugh got the Bolts to the playoffs in his first season and is keeping them in the picture despite some brutal injuries in key spots in 2025. 

Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks won double-digit games in Macdonald's inaugural season and have been even better this year despite plenty of offseason turnover.

1st-Year Cool

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Brian Schottenheimer

Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots

The Patriots went one-and-done with Jerod Mayo but are now, incredibly, the top seed in the AFC. Vrabel is all set for 2026 and likely beyond. 

Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears

Chicago is likely headed to the playoffs behind a top-10 scoring offense in Johnson's maiden season. His seat is realistically cold. 

Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars

It's been a bit of a ride, but a team that lost 13 games under Doug Pederson in 2024 is 8-4 and riding a three-game winning streak. Barring an utter collapse, Coen's seat will be cold entering 2026.

Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas hierarchy has been quite patient with head coaches dating back to the end of the Dave Campo era, and Schottenheimer probably bought himself extra time with a three-game post-bye winning streak to move the Cowboys back into the playoff picture, despite the most recent loss to the Lions.

Cool

AP Photo/Matt Freed

Sean McDermott

Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts

He's always got more out of this team than the sum of its parts, and this year is no exception. Quarterbacked by Daniel Jones, the Colts have the league's highest-scoring offense entering December. Steichen has to be in the Coach of the Year picture, with plenty of job security regardless of what happens down the stretch. 

DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans

It was getting dicey there, but the Texans have rallied in a major way and have the league's top-ranked scoring defense. Even if they miss the playoffs, Ryans will be part of the process in 2026. 

Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders

Quinn shockingly took the Commanders to the NFC Championship in his first season. The team has run into a multitude of issues in Year 2, but injuries and that 2024 success have bought him plenty of time. 

Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills

The Bills are a perennial contender, but they're about to fall off the AFC East throne. Another January letdown short of the Super Bowl could lead to a shocking move. 

Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings

A Coach of the Year 2024 campaign earned O'Connell an offseason extension. This season has been a mess, but you can only play the hand you're dealt at quarterback. His seat will almost certainly become room temperature entering 2026. 

Room Temperature

Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini

Zac Taylor

Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers

The path is there for Green Bay, so if LaFleur fails to register a playoff win for the fourth time in five years, the pressure will likely be turned way up entering 2026. 

Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers

A loser of 12 games in a bad division in his debut season, Canales has the Panthers above .500 despite a low-talent roster. An offseason change isn't entirely out of the question under impatient owner David Tepper, but he looks quite safe for now.

Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions

The extremely talented Lions still have just two playoff wins in the Campbell era, and they're shockingly out of the playoff picture right now. Another disappointing end result could put him in a precarious position come January. 

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have squandered a great chance to separate themselves from the struggling Bills and Chiefs in the AFC (among others), but they've failed. If they again fall well short of the Super Bowl, it'll be fair to ask if major coaching changes are in order. 

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs have been quasi-contenders throughout Bowles' four-year tenure. Does anyone consider them a legit contender? No, but they've still outperformed their talent in 2025. This seat warms up a bit if they miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020. 

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals

Can Taylor really survive a third consecutive letdown season? Joe Burrow's injury situation might help his case, and the Bengals are showing plenty of fight right now as well. Taylor will likely be spared again, but another slow start in 2026 would probably end his tenure in Cincinnati before Thanksgiving. 

1st-Year Warm

AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

Aaron Glenn

Kellen Moore, New Orleans Saints

Nobody expected the Saints to deliver much in 2025, and Moore deserves plenty of time to as the Saints navigate the quest for a new franchise quarterback. That said, 2-10 is 2-10. 

Aaron Glenn, New York Jets

The Jets could easily go one-and-done because they've had some short leashes in the past and there is plenty of talent on this roster. Glenn's defense has been a mess, which makes him an even easier target if Gang Green don't turn their 3-9 start around. 

Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders

Carroll's track record likely earns him a second kick at the can in 2026, especially considering the talent level in Las Vegas. That said, this has been a disastrous season, and I can't see these parties remaining together if 2026 plays out similarly. It could even end sooner than that.

Warm

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are 6-6 despite not being a very good team, giving Tomlin a chance to post a non-losing record for the 19th year in a row. He deserves a lot of credit for that, but a ninth consecutive season without a playoff win could cause these parties to part ways in the offseason. The fanbase looks to be losing patience.

Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins

"There are a number of people in the league who think [McDaniel] could be saving his job with a strong finish," ESPN.com's Dan Graziano wrote this week. He's still got a winning record in four years with the team, but this feels like a toss-up at best. McDaniel's seat has a lot of room to heat up or cool off over the course of the next five weeks.

Burning-Hot

AP Photo/Jason Behnken

Jonathan Gannon

Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

Stefanski has now sandwiched a 2023 Coach of the Year campaign with losing seasons in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. It's time for the Browns to start fresh at the top. 

Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons

A second consecutive losing season appears to be a certainty for Morris, which isn't good considering the talent on the roster. He hasn't got enough out of an improved defense on paper, and it's hard to feel good about the overall direction. He is likely done barring a huge December/January turnaround. 

Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals

With the talent on the Cardinals roster, it is hard to imagine Gannon surviving a third consecutive losing season in Arizona. They have already clinched another losing year with nine losses in 12 games.