{"id":260873,"date":"2025-12-30T10:00:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T15:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=260873"},"modified":"2025-12-30T07:59:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T12:59:00","slug":"3-nfl-coaches-that-could-be-fired-after-week-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/30\/3-nfl-coaches-that-could-be-fired-after-week-18\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Coaches That Could Be Fired After Week 18"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Week 18 is here, which means a few NFL coaches will lose their jobs at this point next week. While nobody wants to celebrate someone losing employment, the fact of the matter is the NFL is a results-based league. If you don&#8217;t win games or give your organization a reason to believe you&#8217;re on the right track, you&#8217;ll be out of a job.<\/p>\n<h2>3 NFL Coaches That Could Be Fired After Week 18<\/h2>\n<p>Two teams have already fired their coaches, but it&#8217;s safe to assume more heads will roll once the season is officially over. While there&#8217;s usually a surprise firing or two, the following three coaches are likely preparing for their last game with their respective organization.<\/p>\n        <div id=\"chuck-game-c7cb4cbd\" \n             class=\"chuck-game-container\" \n             data-game-id=\"8be9207d-b5b5-49ae-918f-5c5201d99e30\"\n             data-game-type=\"lastout\">\n            \n            <!-- Loading State -->\n            <div class=\"chuck-game-loading\">\n                <div class=\"chuck-spinner\"><\/div>\n                <p>Loading game...<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n            \n            <!-- Game Content (injected by JS) -->\n            <div class=\"chuck-game-content\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/div>\n            \n        <\/div>\n        \n        <script>\n        (function() {\n            document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {\n                if (typeof ChuckGamesEngine !== 'undefined') {\n                    ChuckGamesEngine.init('chuck-game-c7cb4cbd', {\"id\":\"8be9207d-b5b5-49ae-918f-5c5201d99e30\",\"type\":\"lastout\",\"description\":\"The Last Out: 07-10-26\",\"contentNotes\":null,\"organizationName\":null,\"unit\":null,\"categoryName\":\"Default\",\"gameDate\":\"2026-07-10\",\"questions\":[{\"id\":\"07f5cd88-8d4e-465e-ab73-dedd7cb07b85\",\"sequence\":1,\"question\":\"Which of these colleges does not use \\\"Wildcats\\\" as its nickname?\",\"optionA\":\"Alabama\",\"optionB\":\"Arizona\",\"optionC\":\"Kentucky\",\"optionD\":\"Villanova\",\"answer\":\"A\",\"funFact\":\"Alabama's Crimson Tide nickname dates back to a 1907 game against Auburn played in red mud\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":86,\"optionB\":14,\"optionC\":0,\"optionD\":0}},{\"id\":\"6ab04525-fe57-475e-9b9c-ad9ef20e443f\",\"sequence\":2,\"question\":\"Which of these NHL team nicknames is not also in active use by an MLB, NBA, or NFL franchise?\",\"optionA\":\"Blues\",\"optionB\":\"Jets\",\"optionC\":\"Kings\",\"optionD\":\"Rangers\",\"answer\":\"A\",\"funFact\":\"The Utah Jazz and St. Louis Blues are long lost cousins, we suppose\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":100,\"optionB\":0,\"optionC\":0,\"optionD\":0}},{\"id\":\"3093004b-61a9-42f3-8165-a0ace47c567d\",\"sequence\":3,\"question\":\"Who is (by far) the NBA's all-time leading scorer among players born in Europe?\",\"optionA\":\"Luka Doncic\",\"optionB\":\"Rudy Gobert\",\"optionC\":\"Dirk Nowitzki\",\"optionD\":\"Tony Parker\",\"answer\":\"C\",\"funFact\":\"The #2 guy on the list is actually Dominique Wilkins, who was born in Paris while his dad was serving overseas\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":0,\"optionB\":0,\"optionC\":100,\"optionD\":0}},{\"id\":\"7c90d03c-f43a-43ba-97da-3a04bf2c4004\",\"sequence\":4,\"question\":\"Tom Brady lost two Super Bowls to the Giants and a third to which other NFC team?\",\"optionA\":\"Atlanta Falcons\",\"optionB\":\"Green Bay Packers\",\"optionC\":\"Philadelphia Eagles\",\"optionD\":\"San Francisco 49ers\",\"answer\":\"C\",\"funFact\":\"The Eagles upset the Patriots 41-33 to win their first Super Bowl in 2017\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":0,\"optionB\":0,\"optionC\":100,\"optionD\":0}},{\"id\":\"6911d35d-20cb-4a18-8dc2-354782c02574\",\"sequence\":5,\"question\":\"Three Rivers Stadium and Mellon Arena (aka The Igloo) were, collectively, the home buildings for all 3 pro franchises in which U.S. city from 1970-2000?\",\"optionA\":\"Boston\",\"optionB\":\"Miami\",\"optionC\":\"Pittsburgh\",\"optionD\":\"Seattle\",\"answer\":\"C\",\"funFact\":\"The Pirates and Steelers moved to their current parks in 2001, and the Penguins moved into PPG Paints Arena a decade later\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":0,\"optionB\":0,\"optionC\":100,\"optionD\":0}},{\"id\":\"8ed95bf4-0484-42cc-b6b0-28fa742564ba\",\"sequence\":6,\"question\":\"Which franchise has the longest active streak of seasons finishing .500 or better?\",\"optionA\":\"Kansas City Chiefs\",\"optionB\":\"Los Angeles Dodgers\",\"optionC\":\"New York Yankees\",\"optionD\":\"Pittsburgh Steelers\",\"answer\":\"C\",\"funFact\":\"The Yankees have finished above .500 every season since 1993\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":0,\"optionB\":33,\"optionC\":0,\"optionD\":67}},{\"id\":\"1f262185-ea6d-4f04-897c-330dcac1942e\",\"sequence\":7,\"question\":\"Which of these countries has yet to produce an NBA Hall-of-Famer?\",\"optionA\":\"Argentina\",\"optionB\":\"Brazil\",\"optionC\":\"China\",\"optionD\":\"Germany\",\"answer\":\"B\",\"funFact\":\"Manu Ginobili, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki collectively have the other 3 countries covered\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":33,\"optionB\":67,\"optionC\":0,\"optionD\":0}},{\"id\":\"407fc223-54ed-4545-9426-a678fbeec7a2\",\"sequence\":8,\"question\":\"Who hit the \\\"Shot Heard Round The World\\\"?\",\"optionA\":\"Joe Carter\",\"optionB\":\"Carlton Fisk\",\"optionC\":\"Bill Mazeroski\",\"optionD\":\"Bobby Thomson\",\"answer\":\"D\",\"funFact\":\"Thomson's NL pennant-winning Home Run was among the first to be broadcast globally via Armed Forces Radio, hence the nickname\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":0,\"optionB\":0,\"optionC\":50,\"optionD\":50}},{\"id\":\"2961bee8-9012-4e60-ad56-ea2950b7b354\",\"sequence\":9,\"question\":\"Which Hall-of-Fame Defensive Back is responsible for the 2 longest defensive TDs in NFL history?\",\"optionA\":\"Ed Reed\",\"optionB\":\"Deion Sanders\",\"optionC\":\"Charles Woodson\",\"optionD\":\"Rod Woodson\",\"answer\":\"A\",\"funFact\":\"Reed had a 106-Yard Pick Six in 2004, and then broke his own record with a 107-Yard Pick Six against the Eagles 4 years later\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":67,\"optionB\":0,\"optionC\":33,\"optionD\":0}},{\"id\":\"594d4086-e174-4c98-8891-4705c6b5f420\",\"sequence\":10,\"question\":\"Who has the longest active championship drought among the 8 original National League franchises?\",\"optionA\":\"Chicago Cubs\",\"optionB\":\"Cincinnati Reds\",\"optionC\":\"Philadelphia Phillies\",\"optionD\":\"Pittsburgh Pirates\",\"answer\":\"D\",\"funFact\":\"The Pirates haven't won a playoff series since winning their most recent World Series in 1979\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":0,\"optionB\":0,\"optionC\":0,\"optionD\":100}},{\"id\":\"eb8d70fc-dbad-4133-85b5-5831327a9655\",\"sequence\":11,\"question\":\"In the Abbott and Costello routine, \\\"Who's on First?\\\", what is the name of the fellow on 2nd Base?\",\"optionA\":\"Because\",\"optionB\":\"What\",\"optionC\":\"Who\",\"optionD\":\"Why\",\"answer\":\"B\",\"funFact\":\"Not listed: Today, Tomorrow, Nobody, I Don't Know, and I Don't Give A Darn\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":0,\"optionB\":100,\"optionC\":0,\"optionD\":0}},{\"id\":\"94a702ef-5cfc-4694-b7e9-52630bb49bf0\",\"sequence\":12,\"question\":\"Which city is home to the oldest football stadium in the United States?\",\"optionA\":\"Boston\",\"optionB\":\"Chicago\",\"optionC\":\"Green Bay\",\"optionD\":\"Philadelphia\",\"answer\":\"D\",\"funFact\":\"Penn's Franklin Field dates all the way back to 1895\",\"answerStats\":{\"optionA\":0,\"optionB\":67,\"optionC\":33,\"optionD\":0}}]});\n                } else {\n                    console.error('ChuckGamesEngine not loaded');\n                }\n            });\n        })();\n        <\/script>\n        \n<p><em>Main Photo: Robert Deutsch &#8211; Imagn Images<\/em><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>3. Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders<\/h3>\n<p>Going one-and-done would be an unfortunate way for Pete Carroll to end his coaching career, but you don&#8217;t hire a 74-year-old coach for a long-term rebuild. After <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/raiders-fire-head-coach-antonio-pierce-after-just-one-full-season\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">parting ways with Antonio Pierce<\/a>, the Raiders hired Carroll and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/20\/geno-smiths-future-with-raiders-revealed-in-latest-report\/\" target=\"_self\">traded for quarterback Geno Smith<\/a> because they believed they had the roster to immediately compete for the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>This proved to be false, as the Raiders are currently the odds-on favorites to earn the first-overall pick. Even if they land a franchise quarterback, this team is a long way from competing, and the organization would probably prefer to see a younger coach leading the way for years to come.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_257417\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-257417\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-257417\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27524516_168419650_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Raiders will fire Pete Carroll\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27524516_168419650_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27524516_168419650_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27524516_168419650_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27524516_168419650_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27524516_168419650_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27524516_168419650_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/USATSI_27524516_168419650_lowres.jpg 1737w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-257417\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll gestures in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>2. Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons<\/h3>\n<p>The Atlanta Falcons went all-in on the 2025 season when they traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/02\/15\/2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report-james-pearce-jr-tennessee\/\" target=\"_self\">pass rusher James Pearce<\/a>. The team entered the season with a strong defense and a promising second-year quarterback surrounded by talented playmakers. Despite all this, the team was out of playoff contention by November.<\/p>\n<p>Morris looked like a dead man walking for most of the offseason, but the team&#8217;s recent hot streak could save his job. Atlanta is now 7-9 and sits just one game behind the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South. While they cannot win the division thanks to tiebreakers, this late-season surge could be enough for ownership to believe Morris is capable of building a winning culture.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_257110\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-257110\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-257110\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/NFL-Coaches-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"NFL Coaches\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/NFL-Coaches-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/NFL-Coaches-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/NFL-Coaches-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/NFL-Coaches-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/NFL-Coaches-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/NFL-Coaches-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/NFL-Coaches.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-257110\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nov 30, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>1. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals<\/h3>\n<p>This one is inevitable. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/08\/31\/cardinals-head-coach-jonathan-gannon-tank-job\/\" target=\"_self\">Jonathan Gannon inherited a mess<\/a> when he joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, and nobody should blame him for not being able to win games with that roster. However, it&#8217;s been three years now, and the team is no closer to making the playoffs now than they were when he first took over.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona is 3-13 and will almost certainly move on from quarterback Kyler Murray in the offseason. This team is staring down another long, painful rebuild, and Gannon hasn&#8217;t done anything to show he can build a winning organization. He&#8217;s 15-35 during his Cardinals tenure, and that&#8217;s not good enough to save his job.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_206334\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-206334\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-206334\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/12\/USATSI_25047290-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Cardinals will fire Jonathan Gannon\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/12\/USATSI_25047290-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/12\/USATSI_25047290-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/12\/USATSI_25047290-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/12\/USATSI_25047290-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/12\/USATSI_25047290-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/12\/USATSI_25047290-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/12\/USATSI_25047290-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-206334\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following three NFL coaches could lose their jobs after Week 18 once teams start looking towards the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":257110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,33,27,17],"tags":[9226,238,9277],"class_list":["post-260873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-cardinals","category-falcons","category-raiders","tag-jonathan-gannon","tag-pete-carroll","tag-raheem-morris"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260873"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260881,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260873\/revisions\/260881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}