5 NFL Head Coaches that could be fired by the end of the 2023 season

In 2022 we gave you a list of three head coaches that would definitely be fired at the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season. We’ve mixed things up and are now giving you the 5 coaches most likely to be fired at the end of the 2023 NFL Season. Here are the three coaches that we predicted would not continue as head coaches at the end of the 2022 season;

• Lovie Smith- Houston Texans
• Nathaniel Hackett- Denver Broncos
• Mike McCarthy- Dallas Cowboys

Two out of three isn’t bad. Smith was fired at the end of the 2022 season (after a win cost them the first pick overall in the draft) and Hackett was terminated after a 4-11 start. Mike McCarthy is still the head coach of the Cowboys after losing in the divisional round of the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers. Let’s dive into our five candidates that could be on the hot seat in 2023.

5 NFL head coaches on the hot seat going into the 2023 season

NFL head coach no. 5: Robert Saleh, New York Jets

Selecting New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh as a potential candidate to be fired after 2023 may seem ludicrous to some. There is so much hype surrounding the Jets after the acquisition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. That hype has led the national media to almost guarantee a playoff appearance by the Jets. If this does not come to fruition and Rodgers either gets hurt or simply delivers an underwhelming performance Saleh’s job could be on the line.

The Jets are all in on the 2023 season and when that happens there is the potential for an epic letdown at the same time. Saleh’s head coaching record with the Jets for two seasons stands at 11-23 with no playoff appearances. Saleh has shown improvement with his squad and has built a formidable defense. The offense however was lackluster with a rotating list of quarterbacks. So bad in fact that the Jets offense was second to last in the league with 15 total touchdowns. Zach Wilson, who was the first draft pick in Saleh’s inaugural season, has declined rapidly and his future is unknown.

If the Jets fail to make the playoffs the “all gas no brakes” mentality could come to a screeching halt. The Jets ownership may look to replace Saleh like an offensive-minded coach to jump-start their struggling unit.

NFL head coach no. 4: Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ironically enough we have another Jets head coach to make the list. Todd Bowles, before being handed the keys to the Tampa Bay kingdom, was the head coach of the New York Jets for four seasons. During that time Bowles amassed a record of 23-40. Bowles moved to defensive coordinator for the Buccaneers and helped with a Super Bowl in 2020. Bruce Arians then stepped down as head coach and handed the role to Bowles, giving him another chance as a head coach in the NFL.

In 2022 Bowles posted a record of 8-9 with a playoff appearance that resulted in an embarrassing loss to the Dallas Cowboys with a final score of 31-14. That would be Tom Brady’s last game as an NFL quarterback. Bowles is currently looking to enter the 2023 season with either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask as the starting quarterback. Neither quarterback option is exactly striking fear amongst the league. The Buccaneers are expected to have a rough season in a struggling NFC South division where none of the four teams in the division had a winning record.

The other teams in the NFC South (Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers) arguably got stronger in the off-season while the Buccaneers remained stagnant. The Buccaneers are in for an uphill battle in 2023 and could end up with a very high draft pick. Someone will have to take the blame for the Bucs being even further from another Super Bowl appearance. The Glazer family may opt to select their quarterback of the future in the 2024 NFL Draft and will also be entering the year with a new head coach.

NFL head coach no. 3: Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers

Brandon Staley is responsible for the third-largest blown league in NFL history. The Chargers led the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-0 at halftime in the Wild Card round of the 2022 playoffs. They would end up losing the game 31-30.

Staley is one of the few coaches on this list with a winning record, standing at 19-15 with one playoff appearance (see above). The Chargers also whiffed on a potential playoff appearance in 2021 after a last-minute loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers have all of the pieces in place to be a successful franchise despite having a historically weak fan base. The Chargers were possibly set to have a boost in their popularity with their playoff run in 2022. That is until they made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

It appeared that it was all but guaranteed that Staley would be fired in 2022 after the collapse against the Jaguars. Staley was able to keep his position despite those reports. It is likely that if they get off to a rough start in 2023 or they fail to reach the postseason Staley could be handed his walking papers.

NFL head coach no. 2: Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys

You read it correctly. We are doubling down and making another bet that this is Mike McCarthy’s last season as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Granted, the same prediction was made in 2022 and we were wrong.

McCarthy holds an impressive record, on paper, as the head coach of the Cowboys for three seasons. McCarthy stands at 30-20 with a 1-2 record in the postseason. One of the issues with McCarthy despite his coaching record is that they seem to continuously lose in the playoffs in embarrassing fashion.

This odd formation with Ezekiel Elliott acting as the center ended in disaster and sent the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship. There was a similar occurrence in 2021 where the Cowboys also lost a playoff game to the 49ers with some time management issues.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones does not strike me as someone that appreciates being embarrassed in general, let alone on the football field. The Cowboys sent offensive coordinator Kellen Moore packing (possibly as a scapegoat for the 49ers’ loss) and hired Brian Schottenheimer as the offensive coordinator. Jones also announced that McCarthy would be calling offensive plays in 2023. McCarthy may not realize it but he is truly coaching to save his job in 2023. With Moore being out of the picture and Schottenheimer not calling the offensive plays, all the blame or credit will rest on McCarthy’s shoulders.

Jones even made a comment while sitting next to McCarthy while meeting with reporters right before the 2023 NFL Draft that illustrates his opinion perfectly.

"“Drafting is not out problem, coaching is.”"

While this article is not constructed to generate betting opportunities it would be a true shock if McCarthy loses another playoff game and retains his job for the 2024 NFL Season. The postseason is not enough for Jerry Jones; he wants Super Bowls. If McCarthy cannot deliver that he won’t be on this list for 2024 as he will already be fired.

NFL head coach no. 1: Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders

The Josh McDaniels era is unlikely to end after a mere two seasons as the head coach of the Raiders. McDaniels however is no stranger to losing a head coaching position in two seasons, as he did with the Denver Broncos. McDaniels coached the Broncos for two seasons producing a record of 12-20 before being terminated. McDaniels made some similar choices in Denver that we are currently seeing in Las Vegas.

The “Patriot Way” of winning has done just the opposite in Las Vegas. The Raiders have made the news since McDaniels arrival for all the wrong reasons.

Let’s look at some bullet points that have come with the arrival of McDaniels;

• 6-11 record in 2022 after a 2021 season where they made the playoffs
• Four double-digit blown leads resulting losses
• Releasing Derek Carr (franchise record-holder quarterback) yielding no trade value
• Replacing Derek Carr with a less capable quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo
• Signing Garoppolo to a three-year deal knowing he is injured
• Trading away Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller for a 3rd round pick
• Trading for All-Pro receiver Davante Adams only to pair him with Garoppolo after releasing his best friend, Derek Carr

One could argue that McDaniels was not alone in some of these decisions and that general manager Dave Ziegler has become culpable in this situation. The fact of the matter is the Raiders look even further from the postseason than they did after their brief 2021 appearance with interim head coach Rich Bisaccia.

Are we seeing any similar comparisons here? In Denver McDaniels attempted to trade for yes, Patriots* quarterback Matt Cassell, which upset current Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler which ended in his trade to the Bears. McDaniels also quarreled with the Broncos’ best receiver, Brandon Marshall, and those issues led to Marshall’s trade to the Miami Dolphins. The similarities between the Cutler/Marshall and Carr/Adams situations are hard to ignore.

The defense is still being rebuilt, the offense is without an elite or even top-10 quarterback to lead them, and the fan base is growing incredibly frustrated with the direction the team is going in. Everyone wants their team to win and despite their feelings towards the New England Patriots franchise are willing to win by any means necessary.

But McDaniels installing all of his former Patriots players only to isolate the current Raiders (Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow) and not lead to more winning is a surefire recipe for disaster.

The time frame for success in this league is small and Adams and Crosby specifically are not getting any younger. Players of that caliber deserve to be on a team capable of winning a championship. The time frame for that kind of victory in Las Vegas seems impossible to calculate. The 2023 season is going to be an uphill battle for the Raiders as the rest of the AFC West (Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos) seemingly improved while the Raiders went backward.

If the Raiders win only 3-5 games in 2023 (which is possible) the owner of the team, Mark Davis, and his new co-owner Tom Brady may have to make a difficult decision regarding who will lead the team out of this black hole.

There you have it. Last year two of the three coaches we predicted could be fired did in fact lose their jobs. Let’s see how these five fare as the 2023 season kicks off in September.

5.) Robert Saleh – Jets

4.) Todd Bowles – Buccaneers

3.) Brandon Staley – Chargers

2.) Mike McCarthy – Cowboys

1.) Josh McDaniels – Raiders