The regular season ends in only 18 days. History tells us what will happen next.<\/p>\n
Black Monday. Which has, for some, become Black Sunday. Yes, more than a few coaches have been fired even before the sun sets on the day their last game was played.<\/p>\n
We know it will happen. It always does. It\u2019s an occupational hazard, part of the business they\u2019ve chosen.<\/p>\n
Last month, we took a snapshot<\/a> of the potential hot spots. With 13 teams now officially eliminated from postseason contention (two of those teams, the Titans and Giants, have already fired their coaches), more will follow. The only question is how many.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the current list of the coaches who may be three games away from the end of the road in their current NFL homes, voluntarily or otherwise.<\/p>\n Dolphins: With G.M. Chris Grier gone, the question is whether the Dolphins will let the new G.M. pick his own coach \u2014 or whether Miami will give Mike McDaniel one more chance to stick around. McDaniel\u2019s willingness to consider benching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could be interpreted as an indication that McDaniel will work with the next G.M. to find a solution at the quarterback position, even if Tua is owed $54 million fully guaranteed for 2026. Whether it\u2019s developing Quinn Ewers, drafting another quarterback, or finding a free agent, the financial commitment to Tagovailoa will complicate the situation. If McDaniel wants to get another year, he needs to realize that the next G.M. will want a new quarterback. McDaniel\u2019s challenge will be to get the new G.M. to also not want a new coach.<\/p>\n Jets: Aaron Glenn got the job based on his skills as a defensive coordinator in Detroit. He decided to delegate the defense to Steve Wilks. On Monday, Glenn fired Wilks. It\u2019s another piece of a fuzzy puzzle that could prompt a decision to make another change. Especially if Glenn was the one who wanted to give $30 million to Justin Fields.<\/p>\n Bills: I know, I know. Folks in Orchard Park bristle at the idea that a change could be needed if another year of Josh Allen\u2019s prime doesn\u2019t result in a Super Bowl berth or something close to it. And, frankly, a Super Bowl run could be in the cards, based on how the last three games have gone. But if they slump down the stretch and miss the playoffs or make an early exit, the questions are inescapable: What is holding them back? Is it talent, or is it coaching? Is it both? And what, if anything, should be changed to help the team fulfill its full potential under the best player in the entire league?<\/p>\n Steelers: If they make the playoffs and win a postseason game, there will be a change only if coach Mike Tomlin wants it. If they fail to make the playoffs, the topic teed up by Ben Roethlisberger will be front and center again. Is it time for a mutual parting of the ways?<\/p>\n Ravens: The same mindset in Pittsburgh applies to Baltimore. After 18 years with John Harbaugh, is it time for the team and the coach to try something new? Harbaugh would land on his feet quickly. At this point, he may welcome it. He may need it. There seems to be a disconnect between the team and quarterback Lamar Jackson. Maybe a coaching change (and a new contract for Lamar) will cure it.<\/p>\n Browns: The Browns are still dealing with the consequences of the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade and contract. Did anyone expect them to be anything more than what they are? If anything, coach Kevin Stefanski and G.M. Andrew Berry have allowed owner Jimmy Haslam to keep a spoon in the stew, without leaking to anyone the idea that they didn\u2019t want Watson. Or that they didn\u2019t want Shedeur Sanders. Or that they didn\u2019t want one or more of the various moves that ultimately trace, in one way or another, to the whims of the guy who owns the team?<\/p>\n Bengals: Joe Burrow isn\u2019t having fun. Would a new coach make football fun again? It\u2019s a question for the front office to pose to Burrow, and it\u2019s a question only he can answer.<\/p>\n Colts: A 7-1 start has melted into an 8-6 reality, with the playoffs becoming a pipe dream. With a new owner in place, no one knows whether she\u2019ll stay the course with coach Shane Steichen and G.M. Chris Ballard. Maybe she will. Maybe she should. Regardless, no one will be able to say her opinions are uninformed. She works the sideline at every game, eschewing the luxury suites and the walkie-talkies<\/a> for walking and talking to the folks who are making the sausage.<\/p>\n Chiefs: The Chiefs would be nuts to fire coach Andy Reid or G.M. Brett Veach. It shouldn\u2019t even be a faint blip on the edge of the radar screen. The question is whether Reid will decide to stick around for the on-the-fly rebuild. It\u2019s one thing for Reid to ride the wave of Super Bowl appearances deep into his sixties. It\u2019s another to realize that a heavier lift is needed, and to ask the hard question of whether it\u2019s time. That\u2019s something that should be Reid\u2019s decision, and his decision alone, whenever he makes it.<\/p>\n