Being a head coach in the NFL is quite the task, and there is a reason why there are consistently multiple openings a cycle. As of now, two head coaches from the beginning of the 2025 NFL Season have been fired in Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll.
There are surely going to be more as well, likely when the season ends. Right now, there appears to be a solid five head coaches that are indeed on the hot seat as Week 15 continues, but there also could be more.
Without a strong head coach, no NFL team is going to sustain success in this league. Let's power rank the 'hottest' hot seat head coaches.
Power ranking the top coaches on the hot seat as Week 15 continues
5. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)
The Cincinnati Bengals are now approaching a third year in a row of not making the playoffs. The team saw Joe Burrow go down with another long-term injury this year, and their recent loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 may have been the dagger in their postseason chances. Zac Taylor has also never really ascended into being one of the better coaches in the league.
Sure, the Bengals' front office has been a bit of a mess for years, but Taylor doesn't typically elevate this team, and you get the sense that a defensive-minded coach could be what this franchise needs.
4. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were poised to run away with the NFC South title earlier this year, but a second-half collapse now leaves them in second place in the NFC South, and Todd Bowles, for years now, has not felt like a very good head coach. He's a high-floor, low-ceiling type of coach who has run his course in Tampa, and unless this team can win the division, I would expect Bowles to be shown the door after the 2025 NFL Season.
3. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (3-10)
Kevin Stefanski seems to be a fine head coach and is absolutely going to be a head coach on another team in the near future, but for the sake of both Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns, a fresh start is clearly needed. The Browns are 3-10 on the season and have clinched yet another double-digit loss season. The team has failed to recover from the failed Deshaun Watson trade, but their rookie class this year does look quite sharp.
However, I think this is a case a lot like Todd Bowles where both coaches have overstayed their welcome a bit, so the Browns' front office could look to pull the plug and get a fresh face in the building.
2. Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)
Pete Carroll was brought in to stabilize the Las Vegas Raiders' franchise for the short-term, as the team also swung a trade for Geno Smith and used their first-round pick on Ashton Jeanty. It was clear what the Raiders were trying to do this year, but it has not gone to plan.
The Raiders' front office overrated the roster and probably underrated just how good the AFC West can be, and you could easily argue that Vegas is the worst team in the league. Geno Smith has been horrendous this year, and Pete Carroll looks to be in way over his head. This could be a one-and-done gig for the Raiders and Carroll.
1. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
The Arizona Cardinals were 2-0 at one point, and I will be the first to admit that I was dead-wrong on this team. I actually had them as a 10-7 Wild Card team in 2025. At one point in 2024, they were 6-4, and still managed to double their win total from 2023, Gannon's first year where they won just four games.
But the wheels have totally fallen off this year, and I am now to the point where I could easily see GM Monti Ossenfort showing Gannon the door. The roster isn't all that special, but it's certainly better than a 3-10 record. The only way I could see Gannon keeping his job is if the Cardinals won out and showed a bit of fight down the stretch, but that feels unlikely.