Head coaching removal, and in some cases front-office figures, is in full swing across the NFL as teams that didn’t make the playoffs readjust in an attempt for a brighter 2026.
Black Sunday and Monday bled into Tuesday, as the Baltimore Ravens stunned the league by parting ways with head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons and a Super Bowl win. That job now becomes the most attractive vacancy of the bunch, according to Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab.
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This week delivered the end for several other head coaches and one general manager, and the scramble begins to fill those positions.
The changes haven’t been limited to just head coaches. As was widely expected, the Dallas Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on Tuesday after the team surrendered more than 500 points in a season for the first time in franchise history.
Staying in the NFC East, the Washington Commanders have reportedly moved on from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. and mutually agreed to part ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Both were part of Dan Quinn’s inaugural Commanders staff that helped lead Washington to its first conference title game appearance since the 1991 season. Kingsbury is expected to receive head-coaching consideration and to have OC options after assisting Jayden Daniels’ NFL breakout.
The first victims of the week were Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, who were both fired Sunday after the Falcons finished 8-9. Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan also could be returning to the organization in a new role as president of football.
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On Monday, the Cleveland Browns parted ways with head coach Kevin Stefanski. Two hours after Stefanski was let go, the Las Vegas Raiders parted ways with coach Pete Carroll after just one season. Not long after that, the Arizona Cardinals fired Jonathan Gannon following his third straight losing season.
Two head coaches, the Tennessee Titans’ Brian Callahan and the New York Giants’ Brian Daboll, lost their jobs during the season. Another whose status might have been in question, Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen, is returning next season, along with general manager Chris Ballard. The Cincinnati Bengals answered a similar question Monday, announcing the return of head coach Zac Taylor and general manager Duke Tobin for another season.
Among those who appear to be safe from the latest round of firings is Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is expected to be back in 2026 despite the team’s search for a new general manager, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday.
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Here’s the rundown on where the carousel currently stands, plus the latest coaching news updates. We also rank the top coaching openings, from least to most attractive. And here are the top candidates on the market to fill those vacancies.
FIREDJohn Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
Record with team: 193-124 (including playoffs), 18th season
Why he was fired: The Ravens were surprisingly mediocre this season, and it can’t all be attributed to Lamar Jackson’s injuries. Their defense yo-yo’d between outright bad and competent, and some of Harbaugh’s in-game decisions have drawn scrutiny. Harbaugh has failed to get back to the Super Bowl with a two-time MVP quarterback in Jackson, and there had been a general sense that a breath of fresh air at head coach might be good for the Ravens.
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Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
Record with team: 15-36, three seasons
Why he was fired: Gannon was hired in part to toughen up Arizona’s defense, and that didn’t really happen. This season’s unit was 26th in EPA per play allowed, 27th in success rate allowed, and in general hasn’t taken a step forward despite 17 of Gannon’s 28 draft picks being on that side of the ball, including six of seven last spring. It’s hard to say the Cardinals are demonstrably better than they were when Gannon was hired.
Potential replacements: Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, former Cowboys and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
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Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders
Record with team: 3-14, one season
Why he was fired: Carroll was supposed to bring stability to the franchise, but it was more losing under the 74-year-old former Super Bowl winner. The Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs in their season finale to end a winless streak that dated to Week 6. The offseason trade for Carroll’s preferred QB Geno Smith never yielded much, the offensive and special teams coordinators were both fired in November, and now there was a dispute with Maxx Crosby over the star pass rusher being placed on injured reserve. None of it reflected well on Carroll, who was in over his head trying to fix a franchise where the rot goes much deeper (and higher).
Potential replacements: Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Giants coach Brian Daboll, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Record with team: 46-58 (including playoffs), six seasons
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Why he was fired: The Browns suffered their fourth losing record in six years under Stefanski, as well as a second straight year picking in the top seven of the draft. The cataclysmic Deshaun Watson trade is partly on Stefanski, who recruited him in the spring of 2022, and for all of Stefanski’s offensive acumen, none of the 13 quarterbacks who’ve started under his watch has proven to be the long-term solution.
Potential replacements: Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, former Cowboys and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons
Record with team: 16-18, two seasons
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Why he was fired: Morris hadn’t been flat-out bad. The Falcons won their final four games of the season, seemingly helping Morris’ cause. But the Falcons regressed overall this season and the operation felt shaky under his watch. While he ended up a fall guy alongside general manager Terry Fontenot, who oversaw an all-in 2025 that included trading away the team’s first-round draft pick next spring, Morris didn’t always build the strongest case for himself. The Falcons now look like they will completely revamp their football operations department with former quarterback Matt Ryan poised to come in as Atlanta’s new president of football.
Potential replacements: Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, former Cowboys and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
Brian Daboll, New York Giants
Record with team: 21-41-1, three full seasons and 10 games
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Why he was fired: Daboll won Coach of the Year in his first season in charge, leading the Giants to a playoff win behind Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. But injuries and underachievement dug a hole Daboll couldn’t coach his way out of, and his handling of the Giants’ overall operation — from game management to interfering with concussion protocol to repeatedly exposing 2025 first-round rookie QB Jaxson Dart to extra punishment in the run game — became too much for the franchise to bear.
Potential replacements: Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, former Cowboys and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, former Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Brian Callahan, Tennessee Titans
Record with team: 4-19, one full season and six games
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Why he was fired: Callahan was more successful at drawing attention to himself off the field than winning on it. He blew up at QB Will Levis multiple times during games, admitted he didn’t know a rule that cost the Titans early this season, excoriated referees and more. Despite his reputation as an offensive guru, it didn’t seem like No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward was making much progress under his auspices, and the Titans decided to admit their mistake and cut bait.
Potential replacements: Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
ON THE HOT SEATMike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
Record with team: 35-35 (including playoffs), fourth season
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Why he might get fired: The story of the McDaniel era (thus far) is starting with a bang and petering out, both in the micro and macro. He made the playoffs his first two seasons (including a hallowed 70 burger against the Broncos), but lost six of the last seven in 2022 and four of his last six in 2023. Since then, his motion-heavy, speed-oriented offense has been less effective against the league as a whole, and off-field issues (including players reportedly running out defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles last season) suggest McDaniel doesn’t have much command of the locker room. Oh, and John Harbaugh just hit the coaching market.
Why he might be safe: There have been some reports the Dolphins are inclined to keep him. Tua Tagovailoa’s limitations and concussion concerns have limited the Dolphins, and if they don’t bring him back next season, the salary cap hit would be so big that team owner Stephen Ross might decide it’s worth keeping McDaniel around one more year to get out from under it.
SAFETodd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record with team: 36-36 (including playoffs), fourth season
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Why he could have been fired: Despite winning Saturday against the Panthers, the Saints’ defeat Sunday blocked the Bucs from the postseason. Entering Week 18, Bowles’ Buccaneers lost seven of eight. The downturn came as they got healthier, which was confusing. There were some bad losses, and for a coach without a great career record, maybe there isn’t a reason to believe things will be decidedly better in the 2026 season.
Why he’s safe: Bowles was on the verge of his fourth straight division title, albeit in a mediocre NFC South. This is the first time in Bowles’ run with Tampa that the Bucs haven’t made the postseason. That appeared to be enough to save Bowles, who said Wednesday his job was safe after meeting with the Glazer family.
NFL coaching news live blogLive71 updates
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Thu, January 8, 2026 at 6:20 AM PST
Chris Cwik
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy continues to add interviews to his schedule. Nagy will reportedly interview with the Ravens after the team surprisingly fired John Harbaugh, per NFL Network.
Nagy is already set to interview with the Raiders, Titans and Cardinals.
Nagy is back in the hunt for a head-coaching role after being fired by the Bears in 2021. He went 34-31 over four seasons with the team before going back to the Chiefs.
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Thu, January 8, 2026 at 5:57 AM PST
Chris Cwik
Former New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce will reportedly interview for the team’s vacant head-coaching role, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Pierce, 47, spent five seasons with the Giants as a player before eventually going into coaching.
He does have previous head-coaching experience, overseeing the Raiders from 2023 to 2024. The team went 9-17 in two seasons under Pierce.
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Thu, January 8, 2026 at 5:39 AM PST
Chris Cwik
Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris had dinner with Giants brass on Wednesday and will meet with the team Thursday.
Morris, 49, has emerged as a popular candidate after being fired by the Falcons after just two seasons.
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Thu, January 8, 2026 at 5:37 AM PST
Chris Cwik
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will meet with the Raiders on Thursday for the team’s vacant head-coaching role. Nagy is one of at least two interviews the team will perform Thursday, the other being Broncos DC Vance Joseph.
Nagy, 47, is looking for his first head-coaching job since he was fired by the Bears following the 2021 NFL season.
Nagy spent four seasons in Chicago, putting up a 34-31 record. He went back to the Chiefs following that stint with the Bears, and has overseen Kansas City’s offense the past few seasons.
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Thu, January 8, 2026 at 5:31 AM PST
Chris Cwik
It’s a busy day for Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who will meet virtually with three different teams Thursday.
Joseph, 53, will meet with the Ravens, Giants and Raiders on Thursday, per NFL Network.
Joseph already met with the Titans on Wednesday and plans to meet with the Cardinals on Friday.
He has previous head-coaching experience, leading the Broncos to an 11-21 record over two seasons.
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Thu, January 8, 2026 at 5:27 AM PST
Chris Cwik
The Atlanta Falcons will speak to two additional candidates for their newly-created president of football operations role. In addition to Matt Ryan, the team also plans to speak with Panthers EVP of football operations Brandt Tilis and Lions COO Mike Disner for the role.
The team first announced the position in early January, after head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot were fired.
In addition to those two interviews, the team will also speak with Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham on Friday for its vacant GM role.
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Thu, January 8, 2026 at 5:22 AM PST
Chris Cwik
The offseason just started, but the Las Vegas Raiders are already deep into interview season. The team will meet with three head-coaching candidates Thursday, and will have talked to at least five total by the end of the week.
The team is hosting interviews with Matt Nagy, Kevin Stefanski and Vance Joseph on Thursday, per MMQB.
The team plans to host Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak on Friday. It already interviewed Broncos QB coach Davis Webb on Wednesday.
There’s a lot at stake for the Raiders this offseason, as the team holds the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Thu, January 8, 2026 at 5:17 AM PST
Chris Cwik
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has drawn interest for a number of teams with head-coaching vacancies. Saleh — who can’t interview until next week — currently has three teams with which he could interview soon.
Those teams are the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans, according to MMQB.
Saleh, 46, has previous head-coaching experience with the New York Jets. Under Saleh, the team went 20-36 over four seasons.
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 6:24 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 4:59 PM PST
Andy Backstrom
The Kansas City Chiefs are parting ways with wide receivers coach Connor Embree, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who also reported Wednesday that there may be other changes to Andy Reid’s coaching staff.
Embree has been a part of the organization since 2019. After serving as a defensive assistant and offensive quality control coach, he was hired as the team’s receivers coach in 2023.
But this season, the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, and no wideout on the team posted more than 587 receiving yards.
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 2:17 PM PST
Sean Leahy
The John Harbaugh sweepstakes is underway after the Baltimore Ravens fired their longtime head coach after 18 seasons on Tuesday. There have been many inquiries about his services from teams looking to fill their openings — even reportedly one team that doesn’t currently need a head coach.
Given the amount of interest, it seems very likely Harbaugh will be coaching an NFL team in 2026. That is something his brother Jim, currently preparing his Los Angeles Chargers for Sunday night’s playoff game against the New England Patriots, believes will happen as long as it’s in the other conference.
“He’ll be a head coach next year,” Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday. “We’ll be playing against him in some form or fashion … And as I told him, whatever team he goes to is going to be formidable and I just hope it’s in the NFC.”
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 2:02 PM PST
Chris Cwik
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles looks on before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Todd Bowles said he met with the Buccaneers’ owners — the Glazer family — Tuesday and was planning to hold interviews with coaches Wednesday. Bowles told the Tampa Bay Times that while he’ll return in 2026, there will be changes to his coaching staff. Bowles did not elaborate on those changes.
Despite Bowles’ success from 2022-24, the coach was a surprising addition to the list of coaches who could lose their jobs this offseason following the Buccaneers’ collapse. Though the team lost control of the NFC South by the end of the season, it still had a shot to make the playoffs in Week 18.
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 12:29 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles will return as Buccaneers head coach in the 2026 season, he told the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday.
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 12:15 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 11:56 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Washington Commanders have an opening for defensive coordinator after firing Joe Whitt Jr. on Tuesday. And it looks like they’re moving fast in finding a replacement.
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 8:53 AM PST
Chris Cwik
The Las Vegas Raiders have multiple interviews scheduled for their vacant head-coaching role. In addition to speaking with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak, the team will also bring in Davis Webb and Vance Joseph, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Webb is expected to interview Wednesday. Joseph will reportedly interview Thursday.
Webb spent 2025 as the Denver Broncos’ quarterbacks coach. Joseph was the Broncos’ defensive coordinator.
Joseph has previous experience as a head coach, serving in the role with the Broncos in 2017 and 2018. He went 11-21 with the franchise in those two seasons.
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 8:49 AM PST
Chris Cwik
Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has at least three head-coach interviews scheduled for next week. Morris will reportedly meet with the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans for their head-coach openings, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Morris is available after being fired by the Falcons following a two-year stint with the team. Atlanta went 16-18 under Morris in those two years.
It marked the second time Morris was fired as a head coach. Earlier in his career, he spent three years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also had an interim stint with the Falcons in 2020, taking over after Dan Quinn was fired following an 0-5 start. The team opted to move on from Morris that offseason in favor of Arthur Smith.
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 8:43 AM PST
Chris Cwik
The Cleveland Browns’ next head coach could come from a division rival. The Browns reportedly asked to interview Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher for the team’s vacant head-coaching role, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Pitcher, 38, has been with the Bengals since 2016, and has worked his way up through the organization over the years, eventually becoming the team’s offensive coordinator in 2024.
The Bengals had an explosive offense in Pitcher’s first season as OC, ranking sixth in the NFL in points scored. Despite losing Joe Burrow for multiple games in 2025, the Bengals still managed to rank 12th in points scored
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 8:36 AM PST
Chris Cwik
The Cleveland Browns will interview some in-house candidates during their search for a new head coach. The team will reportedly speak with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Rees, 33, cut his teeth at Notre Dame and Alabama before joining the Browns last season as the team’s tight ends/pass game specialist. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2025.
The Browns’ offense wasn’t particularly great under Rees, ranking 31st in points scored. Rees, however, didn’t exactly have the greatest weapons at his disposal, which may have limited his ability to turn things around.
Given the amount of coaching talent available, Rees is likely a long shot for the position. It’s promising, however, that he’s already getting head-coach interviews so early in his career.
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Wed, January 7, 2026 at 6:57 AM PST
Sean Leahy
Nagy was previously head coach of the Bears from 2018-2021 and was 34-31 with two playoff appearances.
He was a senior assistant and quarterbacks coach when he returned to the Chiefs in 2022. The following year he was promoted to offensive coordinator and helped the franchise win Super Bowl LVIII.
