The 2024 NFL season is fast approaching and it looks like it will be an exciting one. We are all excited to see how this year’s teams will fare and hopefully improve, but it is important to remember one immutable principle of the NFL: some teams get better while others regress. Not all teams move forward as expected and some do regress.
As such, this is a good time to check in on some of the most unstable coaching situations in the NFL, and I’ve taken an in-depth look at 32 head coaches to determine the top five hottest positions in the league heading into 2024. Many of these names aren’t all that surprising, as several were considered firing candidates during the offseason, but a few are a bit more difficult to nail down than others.
Mike McCarthy
I think I speak for most NFL fans when I say we were shocked that Mike McCarthy wasn’t fired. Dallas Cowboys‘s most recent playoff loss, he’ll return in 2024. Prior to that, they lost another key coordinator, Dan Quinn, and had a thoroughly disappointing season with no action on quarterback Dak Prescott’s contract. Simply put, the Cowboys were suspiciously negligent in addressing veteran departures and multiple holes on the roster.
I think the draft class has the potential to be good, but it’s a tough task for a rookie offensive lineman to step in right away. Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe could step into the spotlight quickly to fill holes, but I’m not sure they’ll be great, at least not right away. The receiver corps is incredibly thin after CeeDee Lamb’s departure, and the lack of urgency in reinforcing the running back position made for a lackluster reunion with Ezekiel Elliott late in his career.
I don’t know if any of these things are explicitly McCarthy’s fault, but if Dallas regresses in 2024, we all know who’s going to be to blame.
Matt Eberflus
Matt Eberflus finds himself in a strange situation Chicago BearsIn many ways, it would have made sense for the Bears to break away completely in 2024 and start fresh with a new head coach. The team is in the midst of a seemingly never-ending rebuild, and Eberflus’ dismal 10-24 record over two seasons doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. At the same time, the roster is far from competitive, and one could argue that Eberflus had no say in the previous quarterback decision. Sure, that would be fine.
Still, expectations will be high for Chicago in 2024 thanks to an aggressive offseason highlighted by the acquisition of quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. If things don’t move as quickly as expected and the Bears end up making another high NFL Draft pick, there will be heavy criticism — and Eberflus will be at the forefront of it.
Dennis Allen
Have you noticed a theme so far? The first three coaches on this list are all in jeopardy of being fired at the end of the 2023 season, including Dennis Allen. Allen has been a mostly uninspiring coach thus far. New Orleans SaintsDespite playing in a division with the NFL’s oldest and most expensive roster and plenty of opportunities to make acquisitions, they’ve managed to post sub-.500 win rates in two seasons.
The big-money acquisition of Derek Carr was the move the Saints needed to regain first place in the NFC South, but the team ultimately fell flat again. Allen likely kept his job through 2024 thanks to the Falcons’ collapse in Week 18, but things are looking pretty grim for the Saints this season. Years of cap injustice have left the roster aging and thin. New Orleans has a much tougher path to the playoffs this season, and missing them for the third straight time would almost certainly mean the end for Allen.
Robert Saleh
Aaron Rodgers’ contract and subsequent injury likely saved Robert Saleh’s job in 2023. Maybe Rodgers really New York Jets The Bulls were looking to boost their playoff chances and have newfound confidence in Saleh’s leadership, but injuries have essentially given Saleh a free pass. It’s clear that Saleh has great defensive talent and has built a top-tier team in New York over the past two seasons, but the offense continues to hold the team back.
Saleh has a dismal 18-33 record in three seasons, and this situation would have caused any other coach to resign, meaning 2024 will be “make the playoffs or die” for Saleh and the entire New York regime. The Jets are obviously better with Aaron Rodgers healthy, but can they really compete with the top contenders in the AFC? Are they better than the Chiefs, Ravens, Bills or anyone else? TexansWill Aaron Rodgers really stay healthy? Will he retire mid-season to take ayahuasca and go on a dark retreat? Given the expectations of the entire team, a playoff appearance may not be enough to save Saleh’s job.
Brian Daboll
It’s unusual to see a coach who won the AP Coach of the Year award just two seasons ago in such a precarious position this season. New York Giants is a rare team. Brian Daboll worked his magic in New York, leading the team to a 9-7-1 record, a playoff appearance and an upset win over the Vikings in 2022, but it all fell apart in 2023. The Giants had the league’s worst offense and were near the bottom defensively, and Daniel Jones spent most of the season on injured reserve after signing a contract extension and underperforming.
New York is in a tough spot heading into 2024. The team forgoes an upgrade at quarterback in favor of another big need: wide receiver. It may have been the best choice for the team, but it probably wasn’t the best choice for Daboll’s job security. I still believe Daboll is a good coach and wouldn’t be surprised to see him bounce back this season, but they’ll need a bit more of that 2022 magic to overtake the Eagles and Cowboys in playoff contention.
