Top 5 NFL coaches in jeopardy of being fired, which includes Antonio Pierce and Matt Eberflus

Attempting to save their jobs as soon as possible is the task assigned to several NFL coaches who are on the hot seat each year. Teams have given their head coaches even less time to improve during the regular season in recent years. It’s just as evident in 2024, with two NFL coaches fired this year. New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was the first NFL coach fired in 2024, dismissed after Week 5 following a 2-3 start.

Nearly a month later, the New Orleans Saints added Dennis Allen to the list of NFL coaches fired following a seven-game losing streak. More firings are coming. Let’s immediately dive into the NFL coaching hot seat after Week 11, examining which NFL coaches are in jeopardy of being fired.

We’ll include an analysis of just how hot the seat is, when that NFL coach could be fired and why they are on the hot seat.

Which NFL coaches will be fired?

1. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars – Boxes Packed, Press Release Ready

It’s a countdown until Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson is fired. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported on November 16 that Pederson and Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke would potentially be fired following Week 11 if the franchise suffered an ugly loss to the Detroit Lions. Jacksonville lost 52-6.

Pederson avoided being fired on Monday but with the Jaguars on the bye in Week 12, his dismissal feels inevitable. There are a variety of reasons for it, too. Firstly, the Jaguars are 3-14 since December 2023 which is the worst record in the NFL over that span. Trevor Lawrence, now one of the highest-paid NFL players has not played remotely close to his talent level and this offense has largely been a disaster.

Pederson is also the same coach who wanted to blamed players at his press conference rather than putting the responsibility on the shoulders of the Jaguars coaching staff. He’s also called for a culture change in Jacksonville. Pederson’s loyalty to offensive coordinator Press Taylor will now play a role in costing him his second head-coaching job.

2. Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears – Locker Room Lost, Good as Gone

Matt Eberflus was among the NFL coaches on the hot seat a year ago with many expecting him to be fired. Instead, the Chicago Bears organization decided to keep him around for another year and use the first overall pick on Caleb Williams. It’s poised to become just the latest instance of Chicago having a general manager, head coach and quarterback who aren’t all brought in the right, structured way.

The Bears organization doesn’t make in-season changes as head coach, it’s just not something the McCaskey family does. What tells you everything about Eberflus’ job security is the fact that he fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron just months after hiring him to replace Luke Getsy. Then, with interim play-caller Thomas Brown helping Williams turn things around, the little details that fall into head-coaching duties cost the Bears again.

A few weeks ago, it was Eberflus’ defense being out of position and undisciplined that led to the Washington Commanders winning on the Fail Mary. In Week 11, Chicago’s choice to kick a field goal early instead of gaining extra yardage to shorten the distance allowed the Green Bay Packers to block the kick because it was kicked at a low angle due to the distance. Eberflus has also lost the Bears locker room. He’s gone after Week 18.

3. Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders – Lame Duck

The Las Vegas Raiders locker room along with Raider Nation made it very clear who they wanted as head coach this season. Despite the long history of interim coaches rarely working out in the full-time gig, the Raiders’ face of the franchise (Maxx Crosby) threatened to demand a trade if Pierce didn’t keep the full-time job.

Suddenly, the inexperienced coach who made a mistake from the beginning in hiring offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and then fired him months later when the results went as poorly as expected, is in hot water. The Raiders locker room has reportedly already soured on Pierce. The head coach whose best skill is motivating a team is now leading a club with a 2-8 record with one of the worst offenses and defenses in the NFL.

Pierce never should’ve been kept around as the full-time coach, but that mistake will likely be corrected in January.

4. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys – Fate Sealed

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones put head coach Mike McCarthy in a no-win situation. The Cowboys’ blowout playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers last season highlighted a woeful running game, an awful run defense and an offensive line that seemed to be deteriorating. Jones kept McCarthy around in a contract year and then said the Cowboys would go “all in” that offseason.

Instead, Dallas lost defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and the discipline and execution from this Cowboys defense went out the door with him. The front office failed to make a single impactful signing to improve the run defense and Jones decided that Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott were the running backs to fix the Cowboys’ rushing attack.

Even before the injuries to Dak Prescott, DaRon Bland and DeMarcus Lawrence, McCarthy was in a situation destined to fail. Now, star Micah Parsons questioning his head coach’s work ethic and the Cowboys are coming off another embarrassing home loss on national TV. McCarthy will get to finish out the regular season, but just as we saw with Jason Garrett, Jones would rather let his coach’s contract expire rather than fire him.

5. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals – Clinging to Circumstances

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor went 2-14 in his first season, overseeing an offense that ranked 26th in yardage and 30th in scoring.

It came after the Bengals’ organization drew plenty of criticism for hiring a very inexperienced coach, who had previously been a quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams (2018) and served as offensive coordinator in 2015 for a Miami Dolphins offense, that finished 27th in scoring.

Then, Joe Burrow arrived and after a rough rookie season (4-11-1), Burrow helped Taylor and the Bengals go 22-11 in the next two seasons, winning five playoff games and making it to the Super Bowl.

Burrow is still playing at an MVP-caliber level years later, but the Bengals are 4-7. While the defense is by far the biggest problem in Cincinnati, the Bengals are also having significant problems in critical situations. Taylor has always been viewed as a head coach who was being elevated significantly by his quarterback.

Now, even Burrow isn’t enough to save the franchise. For almost any other organization, Taylor would likely be fired at the end of this season. However, we’re not sure that’s going to happen here considering the Bengals kept Marvin Lewis around for 16 years and he only had seven winning seasons over that span.