Early Hot Seat Check for Every NFL Head Coach

It doesn't take much these days. It's an age of short attention spans and razor-thin patience, as seen in the way NFL teams operate across this parity-drenched sport.

That's why a handful of head coaches were already on the hot seat entering the 2026 regular season. Several more are feeling the burn after Week 1.

Here's an updated rundown for all 32.

Ice Cold 

AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

Mike Macdonald

Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks won double-digit games in Macdonald's inaugural season before winning the whole damn thing in his second year. He's sitting on an iceberg.

Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles: He's taken the Eagles to two Super Bowls this decade. The team just became the first to win back-to-back NFC East titles since 2004. He also has the fifth-highest qualified regular-season winning percentage in NFL history. 

Sean Payton, Denver Broncos: The Broncos made tremendous progress with a playoff berth in Payton's second season. They took another big step forward with a run to the AFC Championship Game in Year 3. He's very safe for the next couple of seasons. 

Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers: Shanahan had the 49ers in the Super Bowl three years ago. Five years prior to that, he did it with a different core. He's earned plenty of space. The last two years were injury-marred disasters. He's quite safe, given his success through all that attrition. He also just signed a multi-year extension.

Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears: He and Caleb Williams have really hit a groove together, as the Bears are off to a hot start in 2026. Johnson is looking like a lifer in Chicago. 

Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs: Anything can happen. Bill Belichick's seat was once a block of ice and even he wore out his welcome in New England. What if the Chiefs miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season? That likely still wouldn't be enough, but continued disappointments could theoretically lead to a mutual parting of ways by the end of the decade. The end of this marriage would probably be spun that way, if not as a retirement.

Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots: The 2025 Coach of the Year remains extremely safe after leading the Patriots on a surprise Super Bowl run. He appears to have weathered the storm of a controversial offseason. 

Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars: It's clearly clicking with Coen and Trevor Lawrence, as the Jaguars are extremely competitive with a nine-game regular-season winning streak dating back to last November. He's quite safe. 

Cool

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Dan Quinn

Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams: That's three straight double-digit-win playoff campaigns for the preseason Super Bowl favorites. He's safe if he wants to stick around, but long-term uncertainty with the roster could always change that. 

DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans: His defense is often dominant. He won 12 games in 2025 despite a lack of progress from the franchise quarterback. Even if they fall short this year, he's not the problem. 

Kellen Moore, New Orleans Saints: He and Tyler Shough exceeded expectations in their first year together. They're on a nice track to start 2026. It would take quite a turn of events for Moore to fall out of favor this season. 

Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers: One of the most successful and respected coaches of this era, Harbaugh got the Bolts to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. That said, a lack of progress in Year 3 could have him on the hot seat in 2027. 

Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders: He led the rising Commanders to the NFC Championship in Year 1, but it all hit the fan in his second season. Considering that Washington keeps making coordinator changes, the focus could shift entirely to Quinn if the team struggles again in 2026. 

Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings: The 2024 Coach of the Year signed a fresh extension last offseason, but that campaign didn't pan out well. He needs to get more out of his quarterback(s) and get into the playoffs this season. If not, his seat will be warm by the start of 2027. 

First-Year Cool

AP Photo/Kirk Irwin

Todd Monken

John Harbaugh, New York Giants: You don't invest in a legend like Harbaugh only to bail after a year or two. They appear to have a good thing going here. 

Mike LaFleur, Arizona Cardinals: The Cards are still building something. No way they give up on LaFleur too quickly. It helps that he already has a nice win under his belt. 

Kevin Stefanski, Atlanta Falcons: A similar dynamic applies here, except the Falcons are further along in their development.

Jeff Hafley, Miami Dolphins: I also get the sense there is a two-year window for Hafley and Bobby Slowik to get this right with Malik Willis. If anything, Slowik would be a scapegoat first.

Klint Kubiak, Las Vegas Raiders: Good vibes surround this team right now after a promising start. While Las Vegas pulled the plug on Pete Carroll after one season, expect Kubiak to get at least a full year with Fernando Mendoza starting in 2027.

Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans: I think they'd really like to avoid handing Cam Ward three different coaching staffs in his first three seasons, which likely means sticking with Saleh through 2027, regardless of the results.

Todd Monken, Cleveland Browns: The Browns are clearly rebuilding with low expectations for 2026. You can't trade away your best player and blame the coach for a lack of success in Year 1. That said, this front office can be unpredictable. 

Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills: He's off to a strong start, but if it all blows up, the increasingly impatient Bills could potentially make Brady a one-and-done. Keep in mind he's not new to the team, just the role. 

Jesse Minter, Baltimore Ravens: It's always dicey when a first-time head coach takes over a team in win-now mode. Don't be surprised if 2027 becomes a make-or-break season should Minter fail to deliver playoff success in 2026.

Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh Steelers: Could this tenure be tied directly to Aaron Rodgers' remaining window with the Steelers? If so, it's entirely possible McCarthy is gone next offseason.

Warm

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Dan Campbell

Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers: The Packers continue to be competitive. However, their contender status could blow up again in a tough division. If it does and LaFleur fails to register a playoff win for the fifth time in six years, he could be in big trouble come January. 

Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys: The Joneses have actually given head coaches long leashes dating back to the end of the Dave Campo era. Jerry might be losing patience, though. They could blow it all up if Schottenheimer posts a second straight losing season in 2026.

Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions: Despite all of his regular-season success in 2023 and 2024, he's just 2-2 in the playoffs during his five-year tenure. Considering the talent on this roster, I don't think Campbell can survive another season without some playoff success. 

Aaron Glenn, New York Jets: There's no way in hell Glenn can afford consecutive awful seasons with this group's ceiling. An impressive Week 1 win helps, but there is still plenty of room for this to fall apart. 

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals: Surely Taylor cannot survive a fourth consecutive letdown season with an offense this loaded. At least the notoriously bad-starting Bengals are 1-0, but that was also the case in 2025 before it went to hell. 

Burning Hot

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Todd Bowles

Dave Canales, Carolina Panthers: Sneaking into the playoffs with a losing record likely didn't buy Canales much time with impatient Panthers owner David Tepper. He needs to make progress. A 22-point home loss to start his third season isn't a great indication of that.

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs have been quasi-contenders throughout Bowles' four-year tenure there, but the ceiling is pretty low. The wheels fell off down the stretch in 2025, leaving Bowles with zero margin for error in a 2026 campaign that started with a loss. 

Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts: Similarly, Steichen can't afford four consecutive .500-ish or worse campaigns. He and Daniel Jones are off to a discouraging start, too.