The NFL is very much a "what have you done for me lately?" enterprise, and that especially applies to head coaches. A down year can put some of the most highly regarded coaches in some hot water, and two down years in a row might earn them a pink slip. It differs from team to team, owner to owner and front office to front office, but the coaching carousel is busy every offseason.
Last year's 10 coaching changes were especially high, but the year before, there were eight, and the year before that, there were seven. We can expect at least a handful next year, too, whether it's via an in-season firing or an exit after the season. And while some might be expected, others won't be.
Entering last year, it would have been impossible to predict Mike Tomlin stepping down as Steelers coach and John Harbaugh getting fired by the Ravens. With one day until the 2026 season kicks off, we assess the five coaches with the hottest hot seats, as well as a few who could be a potential surprise split come season's end. From this observer's perspective, Steichen has done a really good job when he had even a playable quarterback.
He was 17-17 through two years with Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco as his quarterbacks and then surged to a 8-2 start last year with a healthy Daniel Jones. Then Jones popped up on the injury report with a fracture in his leg before tearing his Achilles a few weeks later. Last year's Colts finished 8-9.
Steichen's offensive smarts shouldn't be in doubt, but the circumstances around him aren't exactly favorable. Chris Ballard is about as "hot seat" as it gets for a GM considering the Colts have won one playoff game since he took over the role in 2017, and that postseason win was in 2018. Jones is coming off a torn Achilles, and even though he has looked good, time will tell if he's back.
The AFC South has gotten much stronger with the Texans and Jaguars surging last year, and the AFC as a whole figures to be a dogfight. If Ballard is gone, is Steichen gone? If Jones struggles, is Steichen gone?
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