- NFL coaches are being hired and fired across the league
- Mike Vrabel returns to the Patriots
- Ben Johnson confirmed as new Chicago Bears head coach
While the Chiefs, Eagles, Commanders and Bills have Conference Championship games and potential Super Bowl appearances dominating their thoughts, a whole heap of NFL franchises are firmly planted on the managerial merry-go-round, as coaches are being hired and fired across the league.
The end of the regular season has brought with it some much needed evaluations for several teams across the AFC and NFC, who have begun the process of starting a clean slate ahead of the upcoming NFL Combine and Draft in February and April, respectively.
Head coaches have been shown the door in Dallas, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, New Orleans, New York and New England in the last few weeks and even mid-season in Chicago, where Matt Eberflus was relieved of his duties after the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions.
With several appointments already being made to fill these coaching vacancies across the NFL, there’s been a lot to keep track of since calendars flipped over to 2025, so here’s a tracker of where we’re up to at the moment with all the current hirings and firings.
NFL Firings
Matt Eberflus (Head Coach, Chicago Bears) – The Bears went early with their decision to part company with head coach Matt Eberflus. After losing seasons in 2022 and 2023, 2024 wasn’t shaping up much better at Soldier Field, despite having two top-ten picks in last year’s draft. The additions of Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze couldn’t prevent the Bears from entering a tailspin after bye week, losing six straight games after recording a 4-2 record prior to bye week. A 23-20 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions was the final straw, and Eberflus was out the door on November 29, 2024.
Jerod Mayo (Head Coach, New England Patriots) – The former Patriots linebacker had been on the coaching staff in New England since 2019, when he was hired as the team’s inside linebacker coach. In January of 2024, the Super Bowl champion was announced as the franchise’s head coach, but would not enjoy anything like the success he did as a player at Gillette Stadium, recording a woeful 4-13 record in his only season in charge. Mayo was fired only two hours after the Pats season ended.
Mike McCarthy (Head Coach, Dallas Cowboys) – Jerry Jones may have said a year ago that the Cowboys were “very close and capable of achieving our ultimate goals”, but 12 months and a poor 2024 season later and that is simply not the case. A new contract with head coach McCarthy was not agreed upon following a disappointing 7-10 campaign and the two parties went their seperate ways. Discussions with former Cowboy Deion Sanders have been confirmed as taking place, although Coach Prime is now believed to be more likely to remain with the Colorado Buffaloes after their new contract offer reportedly increased significantly amid the Cowboys interest.
Doug Pederson (Head Coach, Jacksonville Jaguars) – Going 4-13 in the 2024 season wasn’t only a sackable offence in New England, but in Jacksonville as well. Doug Pederson oversaw a miserable season with the Jaguars and, on top of 2024’s grim showing, had lost 18 of his last 23 matches as the team’s head coach. The Khan family wasted no time in severing ties with the Super Bowl winning coach. Despite Pederson having led the Jags to the Divisional round in 2022, their end of season collapse in 2023, coupled with a wretched year this season, sealed the former Eagles’ head coach’s fate.
Trent Baalke (General Manager, Jacksonville Jaguars) – It is all change in Jacksonville. With the hunt for a new head coach seemingly not progressing in a way team owner Shad Khan is happy with, the Jags have also let go of GM Trent Baalke, with Khan saying in a statement, “Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons. Ethan Waugh will serve as interim general manager and play an important role, with others, as we continue the process of interviewing candidates to serve as our new head coach. I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville and look forward to introducing a new head coach who will make that happen for our players and fans alike.”
Antonio Pierce (Head Coach, Las Vegas Raiders) – Another 4-13 record, another head coach firing. Antonio Pierce joined the Raiders coaching staff as a linebacker coach in 2022 before being promoted to interim head coach in 2023, after Josh McDaniels was fired. The former New York Giants and Washington Commanders linebacker lasted just less than a year in the permanent role, however, with the Raiders once again on the lookout for a new HC.
Tom Telesco (General Manager, Las Vegas Raiders) – Much like Jacksonville, the Raiders are clearing house, with GM Telesco also given his marching orders earlier this month. Ironically enough, Telesco’s 11 year tenure as GM of the Chargers came to an end after a crushing 63-21 defeat to Antonio Pierce’s Raiders in December, 2023.
Dennis Allen (General Manager, New Orleans Saints) – Much like the Bears, the Saints didn’t mess around in the 2024 season. They made the decision to ditch Allen in November after losing seven straight games to see their record for the campaign drop to 2-7. Allen’s overall record in his almost three years in charge at the Superdome was 18-25, with his reign coming to an end following a 23-22 defeat to the Carolina Panthers in week nine.
Robert Saleh (Head Coach, New York Jets) – The earliest firing by far on this list. Saleh was dismissed after only five games, this season, with the Jets recording a 2-3 start from the first five weeks. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has overseen the team as interim coach in the meantime. The Jets fortunes didn’t really change much despite the change in personnel, with Ulbrich registering a 3-9 record for the remainder of the season, further extending the Jets playoff drought to 15 years.
Joe Douglas (General Manager, New York Jets) – The Jets matched the Raiders and Jaguars and opted for a change of pace with their GM as well as their HC. Joe Douglas was served his pink slip after over five years with the Jets on November 19. Senior personnel advisor Phil Savage is currently serving as the interim GM.
Ran Carthon (General Manager, Tennessee Titans) – Carthon was relieved of his duties as GM in Nashville last week after the Titans finished bottom of the AFC South with a 3-14 record for the 2024 season. The former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions running back served two years with the Titans and has already been replaced by Kansas City Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi.
NFL Hirings
Ben Johnson (Head Coach, Chicago Bears) – Johnson’s work with the imperious Detroit Lions offence has been rewarded with the big job over at Soldier Field, with the former Lions offensive coordinator being confirmed as Matt Eberflus’ replacement, this week. The Bears interviewed 17 candidates for the head coach role, including former Dallas Cowboys boss Mike McCarthy and former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
John Spytek (General Manager, Las Vegas Raiders) – After parting company with HC Antonio Pierce and GM Tom Telesco, the Raiders brought in Tampa Bay assistant general manager John Spytek to head up their vacant GM position. Spytek was teammates with minority Raiders owner Tom Brady during their time at Michigan together in college, before being reunited at the Buccaneers 20 years later. Brady is reportedly keen on another reunion at the Raiders also, with his former Patriots boss Bill Belichick being linked to the vacant HC position in Sin City.
Mike Vrabel (Head Coach, New England Patriots) – Having won three Super Bowls playing for the Patriots in the 2000s, the former Ohio State linebacker will be hoping to replicate some of that success as head coach at Gillette Stadium, taking over Jerod Mayo, who only lasted one season in the role. Vrabel’s six seasons as the Tennessee Titans head coach saw him named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021, so Robert Kraft will be hoping for more of that 2021 vintage in New England in 2025 and beyond.
Aaron Glenn (Head Coach, New York Jets) – The Jets will once again look to put an end to the playoff curse, which has seen them miss out on the NFL postseason every year since 2010. Former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Glenn is the new man tasked with bringing the 15 year slide to a halt and Jets fans will be praying that Chicago deciding to opt for a former Lions offensive coordinator, in Ben Johnson, over a defensive one in Glenn is the Bears loss and the Jets gain heading into 2025.
Mike Borgonzi (General Manager, Tennessee Titans) – He may have enjoyed a boatload of success in Kansas City as (takes DEEP breath) administrator of college scouting, manager of football operations, a pro scout, assistant director of pro scouting, director of player personnel, director of football operations AND assistant general manager of the Chiefs since 2009, but Mike Borgonzi is moving onto pastures new and leaving the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce behind for a new challenge in Nashville. Taking over a Titans team that finished rock bottom of the AFC South this season with a 3-14 record is the polar opposite of hoarding Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs, so it will be interesting to see how this move plays out in 2025.
