So which NFL head coaches are on the hot seat in 2025?
There are very few pressure-cookers that compare to the National Football League, where you are literally here one day and gone the next.
Okay, maybe some of the answers to that question are obvious; they might include some of those fellows about whom you were asking yourself, “Why is that guy still employed?” after the conclusion of the 2025 season.
The “hot seat” is where you are before you get set on fire, figuratively speaking. Who are these guys who need to keep looking over their shoulders?
We’ve included five, with the odds from BetUS on whether they will be first one to get fired:
(1) BRIAN CALLAHAN, Tennessee Titans (+500)
— Last year the Titans made numerous personnel upgrades, but also found numerous ways to lose games with late mistakes. Granted, Will Levis did not work out as well as they hoped at quarterback. But now, with #1 overall pick Cam Ward in the saddle, improvement is expected. What if Ward doesn’t come around right away? They won’t tolerate another 3-14 season, or anything close to it, in Nashville this season. Keep in mind that these people fired Mike Vrabel, who was one of the better coaches in the league.
(2) BRIAN DABOLL, New York Giants (+400)
— Daboll was not expected to survive the off-season, but he did. So did GM Joe Schoen. Maybe those two should come as an entry. The offensive “guru” had a pretty dormant offense last season. The Giants like to think they stabilized the QB position with the addition of Russelll Wilson and Jameis Winston, and they drafted “QB of the future” Jaxson Dart. Well, this is a tough division (with the Eagles and Commanders). Big Blue will go about as far as the defense will take them, but if the offense doesn’t perk up, Dart won’t be in Daboll’s future.
(3) KEVIN STEFANSKI, Cleveland Browns (+1200)
— It is the custom for the Browns’ that they are going to have turnover. And coaches have commonly been a casualty. Stefanski suffers from not having a lot to work with. He’ll have a quarterback this year, but it won’t be a real good one. Aside from Jerry Jeudy, they don’t have wide receivers who scare anyone. And they don’t protect as well as they should. That’s not a formula for a lot of victories, and consequently not a path to sticking around too long.
(4) DAVE CANALES, Carolina Panthers (+1000)
— In this case, you have to factor the owner into the situation. David Tepper has an itchy trigger-finger, and whether you want to argue whether his lack of patience has hurt his franchise badly, you have to recognize that after paying a heavy price to draft him with the first overall pick in 2023, he is absolutely intent on Bryce Young showing that he made the right decision. Canales came to Charlotte with a reputation for being able to work with quarterbacks (e.g., Baker Mayfield), but if Young doesn’t make sufficient progress, another coach’s ticket could be punched.
(5) MIKE McDANIEL, Miami Dolphins (+1400)
— This one may surprise some people, but you know, if coaches regress or remain stagnant, that is not a good sign. McDaniel is a very sharp offensive mind, but the attack doesn’t have the air of explosiveness it had in his first season in charge. Tua Tagovailoa is playing small-ball and may be gun-shy, and Tyreek Hill seems to be ready to turn into the next Antonio Brown. Plus, if the Dolphins can’t win in the cold, they’ll never advance in the NFL playoffs. McDaniel is hardly a disciplinarian, and things sometimes look like they’re getting away from him.
