By Jordan Long
The NFL season kicks off tomorrow when the Buffalo Bills head to L.A. to take on the Rams. Every year there are coaches on the hot seat. If they are not successful, they are either fired during the season or on Black Monday. Here are a few coaches whose jobs are on the line this season.
One of the hottest seats in the whole NFL is in Carolina with Matt Rhule. Rhule starts his third season as the Head Coach of the Panthers. Carolina has not had success with him. They have gone a disappointing 10-23, a winning percentage of .303.
Carolina has a new starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield which should help the Panthers. If Rhule wants to keep his job, the Panthers must make it to the playoffs. A slow beginning to the year at 0-4 or 1-5, could end his tenure in Carolina. Carolina hasn’t earned a playoff spot since 2017.
Pete Carroll’s seat is starting to get warmer. The Seahawks haven’t been to the Super Bowl since they lost Super Bowl 49. Carroll has guided the Seahawks to a 119-73-1 record but Carroll hasn’t helped this team go far in the playoffs since they advanced to Super Bowl 49. Last year they missed the postseason altogether.
Seattle is in a rebuild. They traded starting quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver. Seattle tried to figure out who their starting quarterback was between Geno Smith and Drew Lock which might have been the worst quarterback competition this year during training camp. Neither one is that great but Geno Smith won it. He will start in week 1 against Denver.
Carroll knows a subpar record will not get it done in Seattle. Last year they ended at 7-10. A 9-8 record may save his job because that shows improvement. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Seattle fire him on Black Monday if they are below .500 or worse. It just feels like Carroll’s time in Seattle is winding down.
Another of the hottest seats in the NFL is in Dallas. Dallas is a place where they expect Super Bowls every year. Unfortunately, they haven’t been to the Super Bowl let alone win it since Super Bowl 30. The furthest Dallas has advanced in the playoffs in that time was the Divisional Round in 1996, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Dallas hired Mike McCarthy prior to the 2020 season. This was after Green Bay fired him in week 13 of the 2018 season. Green Bay at the time was 4-7-1.
Since taking over Dallas, McCarthy’s record is 18-15. They made one playoff appearance, last season, where they were knocked off in the Wild Card Round. The Dallas Cowboys could be a playoff team this year even as a Wild Card team. That is not going to cut it in Dallas. For McCarthy to keep his job, a deep run in the playoffs is a must. If they are knocked out before the NFC Championship Game, look for Dallas to start a coaching search.
These are just a few of the coaches who are on the hot seat. There could be other head coaches let go who are a surprise. In the NFL it’s a “what have you done for me lately” business. There will be coaches fired. Will it be any of these 3 listed? Who knows but we will have to let the NFL season play out and see what happens.
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