With the calendar flipping from November to December, there’s plenty of drama in playoff races across the league and, on the other end of the spectrum, in the job security for several coaches as well.
Since CBS Sports’ last check-in on the hot seat, the number of coaches fired has doubled: Giants coach Brian Daboll joined Titans coach Brian Callahan among head coaches to receive the pink slip this season. Not coincidentally, those are two of the four teams already eliminated from playoff contention. The Saints and the Cardinals are also out of the running.
Two of the coaches from the last hot seat rankings are in a much different spot now. Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins have won three straight since GM Chris Grier was fired, and owner Stephen Ross has backed McDaniel. CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported McDaniel will at least finish out this season.
Similarly, Aaron Glenn and the Jets have won three of five, and Woody Johnson publicly backed Glenn in late October. McDaniel and Glenn were No. 1 and No. 5 in our October rankings. That leads to plenty of change in this version.
1. Pete Carroll (Raiders)
- 2025 record: 2-10
- Career record: 302-173-1 (.636 win pct)
- Previous ranking: NR
Just about everything surrounding Carroll’s situation has soured in stunning fashion, even for the most wary of prognosticators. Carroll not only hired Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator this offseason but made him the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL. He got fired after Week 12. Las Vegas has also parted ways with special teams coordinator Tom McMahon after Week 10. A reunion between Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith has similarly been a disaster; Smith’s 14 interceptions are tied for most in the NFL, and the Raiders’ 259.5 yards per game is third-fewest in the league.
Simply put, the Raiders made several win-now moves this offseason. It now looks further away from winning than before Carroll took over. Carroll, 74, is already the oldest coach in NFL history, and while he has tremendous energy, he has also been a big reason the franchise has gone completely off track. Recent reports from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport detailed the lack of cohesion under Carroll and indicated Carroll is indeed on the hot seat, less than a year after his ballyhooed arrival.
2. Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals)
- 2025 record: 3-9
- Career record: 15-31 (.326 win pct)
- Previous ranking: NR
The Cardinals have lost nine of 10 since a 2-0 start, and Gannon has experienced a couple of issues outside the mounting losses. In Week 5, amid a calamitous collapse against the Titans, Gannon unloaded on Emari Demercado after he fumbled just before the end zone. The Cardinals fined Gannon $100,000 for the incident, and Gannon apologized to Demercado.
Secondly, Gannon handled the Kyler Murray injury/benching extremely strangely, a drawn-out episode that included him saying Murray is the starter if healthy and saying Murray wouldn’t start even if healthy on the same day.
Murray’s incompatibility with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s desired offense has been one of the overarching problems for Gannon’s time in Arizona. Gannon, the former Eagles defensive coordinator, is yet to produce a winning record or field a top-half defense (in terms of yards allowed) in Arizona. This year’s injury-ravaged defense is creeping toward the very bottom of the barrel. Murray may have played his last down for Arizona, and at the very least, it’s unlikely he’s back for 2026. Three straight losing seasons, poor performance on the side of the ball the coach oversees and a new quarterback likely on his way in is a bad combination.
Recent reporting from Jones indicated Gannon, who has another two years on his contract, could get more time, especially given the team is still paying former GM Steve Keim and former coach Kliff Kingsbury.
3. Raheem Morris (Falcons)
- 2025 record: 4-8
- Career record: 33-55 (.375 win pct)
- Previous ranking: NR
The Falcons have dropped six of their past seven games, including a 27-24 Week 13 loss to the lowly Jets that all but takes Atlanta out of the playoff race, even in the struggling NFC South.
Morris is in a somewhat similar boat as Gannon: third-year coaches who are yet to produce a winning record and have significant quarterback issues. Gannon is 0 for 1, while Morris might be 0 for 2. During the 2024 offseason, Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $160 million deal and then shockingly drafted Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall. Cousins struggled and was benched before the end of his first season in Atlanta; Penix has been up-and-down at best and suffered a season-ending ACL injury in mid November. Morris’ game management issues have plagued him throughout his tenure.
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The Falcons already don’t own their 2026 first-round pick, which they sent to the Rams to draft James Pearce Jr. GM Terry Fontenot is also on the hot seat, and while ESPN’s Dan Graziano called Morris a “personal favorite” of owner Arthur Blank, the results, plethora of coaching errors and general state of the franchise are underwhelming at best.
4. Kevin Stefanski (Browns)
- 2025 record: 3-9
- Career record: 43-53 (.448 win pct)
- Previous ranking: 5
Shedeur Sanders is the latest quarterback getting a shot at Cleveland’s seemingly endless abyss at the game’s most important position, but the Browns could very much be in the quarterback market again come the NFL Draft. Cleveland owns multiple first-round picks and one of the game’s most talented defenses. Myles Garrett is a franchise cornerstone, and the young offense has a pair of promising rookies in running back Quinshon Judkins and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Whether Sanders joins that duo remains TBD.
Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry received extensions ahead of the 2024 season. Cleveland is 6-23 since then.
5. Zac Taylor (Bengals)
- 2025 record: 4-8
- Career record: 50-60-1 (.455)
- Previous ranking: 4
Taylor has made several of the mistakes other coaches on this list have. Cincinnati has never been better than 16th in total defense and this season, under new defensive coordinator Al Golden, has slipped to 32nd in both yardage and scoring. The Bengals, after making a Super Bowl in the 2021 season and going 12-4 in 2022, have missed the playoffs in two straight seasons and is on the outside looking in currently.
Taylor’s greatest blessing might be the organization he’s with. Bengals owner Mike Brown is notoriously tight-fisted, and the prospect of paying Taylor to not coach his team might turn him off from firing him, even if recent performance would put Taylor in hot water in other situations.
Others considered: Mike McDaniel, Mike Tomlin
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