NFL Loves Coach Firing Culture
January 5th, 2026
Joe realizes NFL teams probably don’t like it when media talks and writes about their coaches having shaky job security.
That’s why teams don’t go there on their official websites and team media.
However, the NFL profits on the whole hot-seat culture that lasts a solid month or more. It’s big business, and a big part of the NFL calendar. The NFL loves it!
It’s fun. And the NFL needs a lot of peripheral fun to sustain its intrigue year-round because most teams only play 20 games a year, including preseason.
All major media shows and websites in partnership with the NFL have been running with hot-seat chatter for weeks. And it’s not just them, it’s nearly the entire media machine that helps fuel the NFL’s status as the most popular sport in the country by 100 miles.
Watch the new and fantastic Raise The Flags documentary chronicling 50 years of Bucs history on Amazon Prime — produced by the Buccaneers — and you’ll see how coaching changes and the drama leading up to them are huge parts of team lore. It’s all part of the show.
Change is exciting, often necessary, and represents an organziation’s commitment to winning and symbolizes hope.
Yeah, it means people lose their jobs, which were temporary to begin with. That’s a downside. But some fired are very wealthy and won’t be hurting because of it.
Joe wonders if one reason the Bucs have yet to issue a formal statement that Todd Bowles is returning for the 2026 season is because the team likes the intrigue and attention the unknown brings. Joe would get that, if that’s the case.
For those who enjoy the drama, the NFL has an official “coaching, GM tracker.” It references firings, retentions, “parting ways” and interviews.
The Bucs don’t have a listing, despite multiple NFL insiders for league-partner media last weekend suggesting Todd Bowles is not a 100 percent lock to be Tampa Bay head coach in 2026.