This season will feature a record-high 10 new head coaches. Nine were fired during or after the 2025 campaign, while Mike Tomlin resigned following a 19-year run with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With so much turnover, we're unlikely to see as many coaches let go this year, but some should still worry about their futures. Here are five who are fighting for their jobs this season.
Todd Bowles, Buccaneers
Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers dominated the news cycle this summer. Mayfield is entering the final year of his contract and aired out his frustrations about not receiving a new long-term deal back in training camp. It appears the 31-year-old will enter the season without an extension, which is rare for a potential franchise quarterback.
General manager Jason Licht refusing to budge on extending Mayfield signals that he and his head coach aren't on the same timeline. Licht could see a rebuild coming if this season doesn't work out under Bowles. After four consecutive NFC South crowns, he watched his team start 6-2 last campaign but fail to make the playoffs. Despite dominating the division in recent years, the Buccaneers have a mediocre 35-33 record under Bowles since he replaced Bruce Arians at the start of the 2022 season.
Bowles fired five assistant coaches in February, including offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey. Head coaches don't get many opportunities to overhaul their staff, so Bowles has to succeed quickly with the new people around him. When you factor in Mayfield's contract issues, Bowles' skeptical in-game decision-making, and Tampa's defense ranking 24th in EPA/play since 2023, the veteran head coach is under immense pressure.
Aaron Glenn, Jets
Glenn's first year with the Jets was a full-blown disaster: They tied for the league's worst record at 3-14, their pass defense ranked last in EPA/dropback by a wide margin and didn't record an interception, and their offense's 41 touchdowns were the second-fewest, behind only the Tennessee Titans.
Darren Mougey, who's entering his second season as New York's general manager, underwent a fire sale at last year's trade deadline, dealing star defenders Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for a haul of premier draft picks. The Jets used some of that capital in 2026, but with three first-round picks in 2027, they're primed to select a potential franchise quarterback in a loaded class.
Glenn has to prove he's worth keeping around to lead the franchise through its next transition, and that'll be tough given the current roster. While Geno Smith and the Jets' young offensive weapons could surprise some, Glenn would have to do a heck of a coaching job just to get this defense to league average. The most likely outcome is that New York will be searching for an offensive-minded coach to lead the team in 2027.
Dan Quinn, Commanders
Quinn is a great reminder of how quickly things can change in the NFL. The 55-year-old led Washington to an NFC Championship Game just two years ago, and now his job is on life support.
The Commanders went 5-12 last campaign. Some of their struggles can be tied to Jayden Daniels suiting up in only seven contests - injuries had him rank 37th in pass attempts in 2025. But Washington's defense - the side of the ball Quinn specializes in - was atrocious, finishing 31st in EPA/play and last in yards surrendered. Even with a healthy Daniels, this team was likely missing the playoffs.
Quinn's defense wasn't great in 2024 either, ranking 18th in points allowed and 24th in EPA/play. He's failed to prove in Washington that he's still one of the league's best defensive minds, an edge new ownership hoped for when they hired him. Like Bowles, Quinn tore up his coaching staff in the offseason, promoting assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to offensive coordinator and hiring former Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones as defensive coordinator.
General manager Adam Peters, notably, deserves a ton of blame for questionable roster-building decisions. He started with a near-blank slate in 2024, and outside of Daniels, the depth chart still lacks top-end talent. Nevertheless, GMs are usually granted two head coaches before the blame comes back around to them, meaning Peters can scapegoat Quinn unless the latter turns things around.
Zac Taylor, Bengals
If you had told someone before last season that Taylor would be the only coach retained in the AFC North for 2026, you would've been laughed at. Well, here we are. Taylor is entering his eighth season as the Bengals' head coach and has failed to make the playoffs in three straight campaigns. A head coach getting that long of a leash is rare, but Taylor had a ton of early success, reaching the AFC Championship Game twice in his first four seasons.
Cincinnati invested real money and resources this offseason to improve a defense that's allowed the most yards per game (367.9) since 2023. The team traded the 10th overall pick for Dexter Lawrence and signed defensive linemen Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen to multi-year deals. This is the most "all-in" the Bengals have ever been, as the franchise has historically been hesitant to use future assets to build its roster.
Taylor has already played his fire-the-defensive-coordinator card after replacing Lou Anarumo with Al Golden last year. That change didn't produce results on the field, as Cincinnati's defense was again among the worst. When you add in quarterback Joe Burrow's comments about this being the best Bengals roster he's been on, the pressure is on Taylor to get back to the postseason. If he doesn't, Burrow will likely have a new head coach for the first time in his career.
Shane Steichen, Colts
In January, just hours after their final game, the Colts announced that Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard would return in 2026, marking the second consecutive season the organization publicly announced its decision to retain the pair.
Those statements would seem to signal that the hourglass has been turned over for both. Indianapolis would've been justified in cleaning house after last year's historic collapse, missing the playoffs despite an 8-2 start. Though the second half of the season was a disaster, the Colts attributed the decline to Daniel Jones tearing his Achilles in early December. They ultimately pulled Philip Rivers out of retirement to take over under center in one of the wildest late-season storylines the league has seen.
However, Indy was 0-2 in the two games Jones started before the injury, and the nosedive was already brewing. Led by Jonathon Taylor and Jones, the offense was lights out at the start of the year, ranking first in EPA/play through the first nine games. But from Weeks 10-18, the unit plummeted to 23rd. Meanwhile, the Colts' defense, plagued by inconsistency from beginning to end, finished 23rd in success rate.
Ballard and the front office decided to maintain continuity, bringing back much of the 2025 roster. Jones signed an extension and is set to start Week 1, while Sauce Gardner - whom Indianapolis acquired at last year's trade deadline for two first-round picks - is seen as the team's big addition after he suited up in only four Colts games due to a calf injury. Ballard and Steichen have to reach the playoffs this year, or owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who took over for her late father Jim in 2025, will likely make her first general manager and head coach hires.
