Seven weeks into the NFL season, now is the time that some franchises will start considering whether their head coach is the right person to lead the team moving forward.
At the conclusion of the 2025 season, nine of the 32 NFL head coaches had either been fired or, in Mike Tomlin’s case, stepped down. This means that, in 2026, 10 head coaches will be in their first season with a team.
Brian Callahan was the first of the nine coaches to be fired, being dismissed by the Tennessee Titans on 13 October 2025 following a Week 6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Callahan began the season with a 1–5 record.
Several head coaches are already on the hot seat this season, including Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets and Dan Quinn of the Washington Commanders.
The first coach to be fired is not always the one with the worst team. Instead, it is often a coach whose team is significantly underperforming expectations.
Teams also do not typically fire a first-year head coach during the season. This means Jeff Hafley (Miami Dolphins), Robert Saleh (Tennessee Titans) and Mike LaFleur (Arizona Cardinals) are likely to be safe, even if their teams continue to lose games this season.
Let's find out who could be forced to watch the remainder of the 2026 NFL season from their couch.
Who will be the first NFL head coach fired this season?
Aaron Glenn (New York Jets)
Aaron Glenn is in his second season as head coach of the New York Jets, and the defensive-minded coach has an overall record of 5–19.
Glenn was hired by a team in the midst of a major roster overhaul and with a quarterback room that had been underwhelming for decades. Expectations were low during his first year, but after bolstering the squad with young talent and a veteran quarterback, the Jets expected to see significant progress and potentially compete for a playoff spot in the AFC.
The Jets lost to the winless Dolphins in Week 7, and Glenn is now one of the most talked-about coaches on the hot seat.
2026 Record: 2-5
Panic Meter: 8
Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders)
Dan Quinn of the Washington Commanders is also one of the most frequently mentioned coaches in hot-seat discussions. Quinn is in his third year as the Commanders’ head coach, but the team has significantly underperformed expectations over the past two seasons after reaching the NFC Championship Game during his first year in charge.
This season, Quinn has had to deal with significant injuries to several star players, but his late-game management has placed his job in serious danger. He will likely have another week or so to prove that he is the right man for the job. Otherwise, the Commanders may look for someone else to coach their talented young quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
2026 Record: 1-4-1
Panic Meter: 9
Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
Nick Sirianni has been the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles since 2021. During that time, he has posted a 61–31 regular-season record, led the team to the playoffs every year, guided the Eagles to two Super Bowls and won a Super Bowl in 2024.
Unfortunately for Sirianni, things have started to fall apart in 2026. The Eagles have begun the season 2–5 and have given fans little reason to be optimistic about the future, particularly with an ageing roster.
Sirianni has benefited greatly from having excellent position coaches around him. However, with many of those intelligent coaches having since left the team, Sirianni is struggling to keep the Eagles afloat.
With the Eagles clearly entering a new era, general manager Howie Roseman could look to find a coach who can guide the team into the future rather than riding with Sirianni a few seasons too long.
2026 Record: 2-5
Panic Meter: 8
Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
In the four seasons since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Todd Bowles, they have won the NFC South three times but have a losing regular-season record of 37–38.
The Bucs compete in an incredibly mediocre division and, even though they have won it three times in four seasons, they have not done so convincingly.
The Bucs lost their opening four games of the 2026 season, but after recording wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers in two of their last three games, Bowles may have saved his job for at least a few more weeks.
2026 Record: 2-5
Panic Meter: 7
Other Hot-Seat Coaches
Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints) DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans), Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers), and Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts) are other names in the mix to be the first head coach fired this season.
Kellen Moore (Saints)
2026 Record: 2-5
Panic Meter: 7
DeMeco Ryans (Texans)
2026 Record: 2-5
Panic Meter: 3
Jim Harbaugh (Chargers)
2026 Record: 0-6
Panic Meter: 4
Shane Steichen (Colts)
2026 Record: 2-5
Panic Meter: 3
The teams coached by Ryans and Moore have both been incredibly underwhelming to start the season, but Ryans may have a slightly longer runway than some of his peers.
Moore, however, is firmly on the hot seat after a poor offensive start to his second season as head coach. The Saints expected to compete for the division this season after finishing 2025 with four wins in their final five games. If they cannot turn things around quickly, the Saints are likely to have a new head coach in 2027.
Harbaugh has not covered himself in glory this year, with his team starting the season 0–6. However, the Chargers are more likely to try a new offensive coordinator than fire Harbaugh, meaning Mike McDaniel’s job could be at greater risk than that of the former Michigan head coach.
Steichen is also probably safe. The Colts have already fired general manager Chris Ballard this season, and he took much of the blame for their 2–5 start. The Colts are also trading away several talented veterans, meaning Steichen could have the opportunity to guide the team through a rebuild over the next few seasons.
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