The 2015 NFL season saw various coaches who were hired and/or fired. The Philadelphia Eagles fired Chip Kelly before the regular season was even over, but shortly after he was dismissed in Philly the former Oregon coach was named the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Doug Pederson replaced Kelly in Philadelphia while Dirk Koetter took over head coaching duties for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the Bucs fired Lovie Smith. The Tennessee Titans fired Ken Whisenhunt during the 2015 season and Mike Mularkey was named the interim coach. The Titans ended up removing the interim label and named Mularkey as head coach. The New York Giants saw Tom Coughlin step down as head coach and the G-Men named offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo as Coughlin’s successor. Adam Gase, previously the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, has taken over as head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Hue Jackson was named head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
As usual there were a lot of coaching changes in the NFL, but which guys in charge are on the hot seat entering the 2016 season?
NFL COACHES HOT SEAT ENTERING THE 2016 SEASON
GUS BRADLEY – JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Gus Bradley’s seat is clearly the hottest going into the 2016 season. In three seasons with Bradley at the helm the Jacksonville Jaguars are 12-36, after going 5-11 in 2015, their best finish under Bradley. It’s puzzling that the Jaguars announced their head coach would be back next season, even if it seems to have been done with a “win or else” ultimatum. The Jags seem like they could kinda, sorta be a team on the rise, but I’m not sure that happens in 2016 and if Jacksonville has another poor season, Bradley will be gone.
JEFF FISHER – LOS ANGELES RAMS
The St. Louis Rams became the Los Angeles Rams as they moved back to LA. But, regardless of the location, Jeff Fisher is on the hot seat. In fact, his seat is probably the second hottest behind Bradley’s. In four seasons with the Rams, Fisher’s record is 27-36-1, with exactly zero winning seasons. The Rams won three of their last four games in 2015, helping them to a 7-9 record, and probably saving Fisher’s hide in the process. But with no winning seasons as head coach of the Rams and just six winning seasons in 21 years as a head coach in the NFL, Fisher’s seat is plenty hot heading into 2016.
MIKE MCCOY – SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
The San Diego Chargers made a lot of changes to their coaching staff, including not retaining offensive coordinator Frank Reich and five assistant coaches, after they finished the 2015 season in last place in the AFC West with a 4-12 record. But the Bolts decided to keep Mike McCoy as their head coach in spite of their awful 2015 season. In three seasons in San Diego, McCoy has a 22-26 record with one trip to the postseason (2013) where the Chargers garnered their only playoff win under McCoy. If the Chargers don’t improve in 2016 McCoy will probably be out of San Diego.
REX RYAN – BUFFALO BILLS
In 2015, Rex Ryan’s first season at the helm, the Buffalo Bills went 8-8 and finished in third place in the AFC East. The former New York Jets head coach is known for his defensive prowess, but in 2015 the Bills allowed 22.4 points per game (15th), 356.4 total yards per game (19th), 248.3 passing yards per game (19th) and 108.1 rushing yards per game (16th). Many fans and experts expected the Bills defense to improve under Ryan, but that didn’t happen. Ryan probably needs to improve things in Buffalo in 2016 if he wants to remain their head coach.
JIM CALDWELL – DETROIT LIONS
The Detroit Lions began the 2015 season by going 0-5, but they went 7-4 the rest of the way, which most likely saved Jim Caldwell’s job. In two years with the Lions the former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts has a record of 18-14, with one trip to the playoffs in 2014, but no postseason wins. New General Manager Bob Quinn has stated that Caldwell is safe for now, but if the Lions have another poor start in 2016, Caldwell could find himself looking for a new job.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints), Chuck Pagano (Colts), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals) and Jason Garrett (Dallas Cowboys).
Time will tell how these coaches and their teams and the rest of the NFL perform in 2016, but the above head coaches probably have the hottest seats heading into next season.
