NFL Coaches on the Hot Seat: Who Could be Canned by Season’s End?

Ahead of Week 8, NFL teams are likely reflecting on their accomplishments thus far, while certain fans may be feeling disappointed. As the old adage goes, it’s easier to replace the head coach than to get rid of all of the players. Several coaches are on the hot seat as we approach the midpoint of the 2026 NFL season, and this is the time of year in which there are often changes.

Both of last year’s in-season firings—Brian Callahan of the Tennessee Titans and Brian Daboll of the New York Giants—occurred between Week 7 and Week 11. Below are the coaches most in jeopardy of potentially getting their walking papers before we even reach Thanksgiving.

Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts

The fire sale in Indy is underway. DeForest Buckner and Quenton Nelson have already been dealt, Josh Downs has requested to be traded, and Jonathan Taylor could be on the move as well.

The Colts are already looking beyond 2026 and focused on the future, a future which is unlikely to involve Steichen. The team’s GM, Chris Ballard, was terminated after the Colts gave the Tennessee Titans their first win in Week 6, and many are eyeing a Week 10 contest versus the one-win Dolphins as Steichen’s tipping point. If the Colts, who, again, just traded away some of their best players, can’t defeat the Dolphins at home, then Steichen’s firing will likely be the next domino to fall.

Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys

“Schotty” is just in his second season, but there is precedent for Jerry Jones firing a coach after two years. He did so to Chan Gailey, despite Gailey making the playoffs in both seasons.

Dallas didn’t make the postseason in Schottenheimer’s first year, and with a 3–4 record, are not on pace to make it this year. The coach, unwittingly, made his seat even hotter when he recently made the bold claim that he’s a “great coach.” That’s despite a 10–13–1 career record (.439 win percentage) and just one victory over a team with a winning record, either currently or at the end of last season.

Aaron Glenn, New York Jets

Some stats make you do a double-take, and that’s the case with Glenn at the end of the first half. Over his year-plus in New York, the Jets have been outscored a mind-boggling 107-6 in the last two minutes of the first half. That points to a number of things, from subpar play calling on both offense and defense to poor clock management to even inadequate conditioning with the players.

Glenn has improved the Jets defensively this season over last, and there appeared to be some promise after a Week 1 win, followed by close defeats to the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. However, all of that may have been undone by giving the lowly Miami Dolphins, who are clearly in tanking mode, their first win of the year in Week 7. Robert Saleh was fired by the Jets in October of 2024, as Glenn hopes to avoid the same fate in November 2026.

Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders

From putting franchise player, Jayden Daniels, in situations in which he’s constantly getting injured, to the complete clock mismanagement in Washington’s tie with the New York Giants in Week 5, Commanders fans wanted Quinn fired yesterday. He has a defensive background and was the coordinator of the Super Bowl-winning Legion of Boom defense in Seattle, but Quinn’s Commanders team has struggled immensely on that side of the ball. Washington ranked dead last in total defense in 2025, and now they rank second worst in scoring defense in 2026. The fact that he wasn’t fired during the team’s Week 7 bye was undoubtedly a good thing, but that may have just been delaying the inevitable if the Commanders can’t win both of their back-to-back home games in Weeks 8 and 9.       

Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers

Entering this season, it seemed unfathomable that Harbaugh would be on the hot seat as his .677 W-L percentage ranked among the top 10 coaches in NFL history. Then the Chargers, a preseason Super Bowl contender, went out and lost six straight, and dating back to last season, L.A. has lost nine straight games. Six of those nine defeats have come by more than 7 points, and Justin Herbert looks nothing like the franchise quarterback he was once labeled.

Perhaps most damning for Harbaugh is that he hand-picked the team’s new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. The result: the former Miami Dolphins HC has the Chargers dead last in scoring and first in turnovers.

Honorable Mention: Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

Sirianni’s seat is not hot like all of the above head coaches, but it is warm. His Super Bowl victory just two years ago certainly bought him some time, and his predecessor, Doug Pederson, wasn’t canned until three years after his own Super Bowl victory.

Sirianni gets a break due to the litany of injuries in Philadelphia, starting with Jalen Hurts, and including Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, who all missed time. It also wasn’t Sirianni’s fault that Lane Johnson abruptly retired or that the team traded away Cam Jurgens midseason. Add all of that up, and Sirianni is likely safe for the rest of the year.