The rest of the NFL is back! The Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers kicked off the preseason with the Hall of Fame game last week, and now Week One of the preseason is in the books. Many teams are entering the 2026 season with high hopes and expectations, or at least signs of heading in the right direction. Failure to meet those goals could, of course, result in changes by the front office. With that in mind, here are four NFL head coaches who may be in the NFL coaches’ hot seat this season.
No one is expecting the New York Jets to light the world on fire, but significant improvement is probably expected. With that, Aaron Glenn is in the NFL coaches’ hot seat. The Jets are coming off a 3-14 season in a year that included zero interceptions, even with a former defensive back in charge.
New York made significant upgrades on both sides of the ball. The team drafted edge rusher David Bailey, who had 14.5 sacks last season at Texas A&M, second overall. Later in the first round, the Jets added pass catchers Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. There is also the return of former Jets second-round pick Geno Smith along with Garrett Wilson, who missed most of 2025 with a knee sprain.
The Jets will face that tough NFC North division this season, but there are also some very winnable games on the schedule. Among those are the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and two matchups against the Miami Dolphins. Glenn will likely not survive another three-win season, so wins versus those teams are imperative. If not, Coach Glenn could be shown the door.
With Glenn and the Jets, they need to beat up on the teams that are expected to be bad. The Titans, Browns, Dolphins, and Raiders are all on the schedule before Week Eight. It is probably best for Glenn to win three of those games, or he could be on the NFL coaches’ hot seat and shown the door mid-season.
The Cincinnati Bengals and head coach Zac Taylor are now five years removed from that 2021 Super Bowl appearance. The 2025 season also marked the third straight year without a playoff appearance. Now, granted, quarterback Joe Burrow missed time in two of those seasons, but even when he went down in 2023, the team was just 5-5. With those recent shortcomings, Taylor is probably in the NFL coaches’ hot seat.
With a healthy Burrow, arguably the best receiving duo in the NFL in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and emerging running back Chase Brown, expectations are high in Cincy. The Bengals also traded a top-ten pick to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence, further signifying a win-now mentality.
Within their division, there are question marks. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens parted ways with long-time head coaches Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh, respectively. The Bengals likely see themselves as a squad that should win the AFC North. From there, a significant playoff run is probably the expectation. If that does not happen, the Bengals may end up searching for a head coach who can maximize these offensive weapons. That lands Taylor squarely in the NFL coaches’ hot seat.
The New England Patriots had an offseason full of noise. That noise came from head coach Mike Vrabel and the scandal surrounding his relationship with former ESPN reporter Diana Russini. Vrabel took steps in the right direction following the scandal, stepping away from the team during the 2026 NFL Draft to attend marriage counseling.
Coach Vrabel made a statement at that time, saying he wanted to give his family and the Patriots organization the best version of himself possible. Despite taking these steps, at the end of the day, this type of distraction could land Vrabel in the NFL coaches’ hot seat.
As the saying goes, winning cures all. The Patriots are coming off a 14-3 season with a Super Bowl appearance, and added A.J. Brown to the wide receiver room. While repeating last year’s performance is improbable (especially with a tougher schedule), Vrabel needs to ensure the squad does not regress too much in the standings. Missing the postseason will only increase noise in New England and questions about whether Vrabel’s personal issues affected his ability to do his job. That could be enough to cost him his job.
Despite being one of the most successful franchises in recent memory, the Philadelphia Eagles often seem to be surrounded by noise and turmoil. Head coach Nick Sirianni is 59-26 with two Super Bowl appearances and one victory in five seasons with the franchise. He could still be in the NFL coaches’ hot seat.
Last season, Philly became the first NFC East team to win back-to-back division titles since 2004, but lost in the Wild Card round to the San Francisco 49ers 23-19. That 19-point mark is significant, as it highlights the struggles that the Eagles faced all last year. The team finished 19th in points per game in 2025 with 22.3, the lowest total in the Sirianni era. Philadelphia was able to get by on a mediocre offense for most of the 2025 season, but it finally caught up to them in the playoffs.
The early playoff exit almost felt inevitable, as some players, particularly a disgruntled receiver who is no longer with the team, felt the offense had underperformed throughout the year. Now, with that “distraction” out of the building, more attention and pressure are on Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts. The Eagles added WR Makai Lemon in the first round of the draft and receiver Dontayvion Wicks from the Green Bay Packers. They should also be stout on the offensive line again.
Three of four coaches on this list have either been to or won the Super Bowl, but things can change quickly in the NFL. Things can turn sour quickly, and that could be the case with Taylor, Vrabel, and Sirianni. With NFL coaches, it is a what have you done for me lately league. Lately, it has been underachievement for Taylor, controversy for Vrabel, and both for Sirianni.
New England was just in the big game, of course, but Vrabel embarrassed himself, his family, and the organization. While Patriots owner Robert Kraft has publicly supported his coach since, that is much easier to do coming off a Super Bowl appearance. Winning can mask issues, but if the Patriots fall off this season, Kraft’s tune could change.
As we saw last season, two coaches rumored to be on the NFL coaches’ hot seat heading into 2025, Harbaugh and Sean McDermott, were let go. Both had years of success, but sometimes, good enough is not good enough. It is probably in the best interest of Sirianni and Taylor, especially, to make a deep playoff run. All of these coaches have their own issues and thus could be in the NFL coaches’ hot seat in 2026.
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