There are a small handful of head coaches who seem to be on the hot seat entering the 2024 NFL Season. Who are they? There are usually a handful of head coach openings each season. And the next hiring cycle for 2025 should be no different.
Well, while it's more common for head coaches to finish the season before losing their jobs, could we see some in-season firings? Perhaps. Regardless of whether these coaches get fired during or after the 2024 NFL Season, these three men are firmly on the hot seat.
3 NFL head coaches firmly on the hot seat entering the 2024 season
1. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
A 42-25 record through four seasons as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is quite impressive, but Mike McCarthy has a lowly 1-3 postseason record. At some point, something has to change, right? How much longer with the Cowboys tolerate the strong regular seasons but pathetic playoff showings? Jerry Jones has to be running out of patience, but let's not forgot that McCarthy is a very good head coach.
It's just that his best days may be behind him, and the Cowboys probably need someone different to push them over the edge. Dallas lost quite a bit this offseason, so if they don't start that great, Jerry Jones might feel like being extra bold and make an in-season firing.
2. Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints
It's hard to envision a more underwhelming head coach than Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints, who has proven to be a very strong defensive coordinator, but not much else. Allen has a 24-46 record as a head coach and just one winning season to his credit, which came in 2023 with the Saints. However, it was a huge disappointment, considering the Saints had one of the easiest schedules in the NFL.
They scraped to a 9-8 record. There's just almost nothing for Dennis Allen to hang his hat on as a head coach. He's clearly not cut out to be one, and if the Saints, who again have an easy schedule, start off slow, why should he even finish the season?
3. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
Nick Sirianni has won two-thirds of his games as a head coach through three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but a lot of that came crashing down in 2023. The Eagles lost both of their coordinators from 2022 to head coaching jobs. Jonathan Gannon and Shane Steichen earned HC gigs, and it's clear that the stellar duo of former coordinators were most of the reason for the Eagles success when they were with Nick Sirianni.
The Eagles went 11-6 in 2023 but were playing like an eight or nine-win team, so they weren't special. They got bounced out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Round and entered the offseason with many more questions than answers. For Sirianni, it's got to be an urgent situation, as Eagles GM Howie Roseman has again built an elite roster, and there is just no use in keeping Sirianni around if he underperforms in 2024.