Three NFL coaches on the hot seat in 2025, including one AFC title contender and a team with a rookie QB

3. Brian Daboll – New York Giants

Brian Daboll’s situation is a complex one. You could argue that he overachieved in his first season in charge in 2022, before the roster started to fade on him quickly.

Daboll took over a 4-13 team that year and helped them to a 9-7 record and a spot in the wildcard round of the playoffs. They then beat a talented Minnesota Vikings team in that game, before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.

However, since that season, things have progressively gotten worse. They won six games in the 2023 season, and only three in 2024.

Brian Daboll has worked with Daniel Jones as the team’s starting quarterback going into all three of those seasons, but finally benched and then released him in 2024. It was time to cut ties, and the head coach will now get an opportunity to develop his own quarterback for the first time.

One of the main reasons Daboll got the job in New York was his reputation for developing Josh Allen in his early years. Allen had a rough start to life in the NFL, but Daboll helped to fine-tune his mechanics and bring the best out of him.

He’ll now get a shot at doing the same thing with rookie Jaxson Dart, but how quickly will the pressure be on Daboll if the results don’t go their way early in the season?

Russell Wilson will start the year at QB, but Daboll is going to want to showcase what Dart is capable of before he loses his job as the team’s head coach. That may mean a midseason switch to the rookie, so that ownership can see the glimmer of hope in the team’s future.

The Giants are rebuilding, and if they get the quarterback right, they might not be that far away from having a competitive team again. The defensive front is now stacked with talent from Brian Burns to rookie Abdul Carter, plus free agency additions in the secondary, including Jevon Holland and Paulson Adebo.

Daboll will be given a chance to coach the new-look roster, but how long the leash will be, nobody knows.

2. Zac Taylor – Cincinnati Bengals

It may be a surprise to see Zac Taylor’s name on a list of head coaches in trouble, considering the high performance of quarterback Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals‘ offense.

However, the Bengals have now missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, after struggling to overcome a slow start to the year.

Taylor has come under fire for the way the team has prepared after starting the 2023 season 1-3 and the 2024 season 1-4. 2024 featured a particularly poor start, with Cincinnati losing the opening game of the season to Jacoby Brissett and the New England Patriots in a miserable 16-10 performance. They were 8.5-point favorites going into the game.

The Bengals lost to the Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders, and Baltimore Ravens, with their only win in the first five weeks of the year being a 34-24 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Fans are concerned that the window to win a Super Bowl is passing the Bengals by, as they are now paying all of their young talent hefty contracts, and have to be more conservative with their spending as a result.

It’s been three seasons since they lost in the big game against the LA Rams, and since then Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins are all costing significantly more money.

If the Bengals fall short of the playoffs again this season, Taylor will almost certainly be replaced. With a shaky defense and a lot of trouble getting their pass rushers signed, it could be a tense season for the Cincinnati head coach.

1. Mike McDaniel – Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins had an incredible 2023 season, but it crumbled when it mattered in the playoffs. At the time, it seemed as though Mike McDaniel was ascending, showing offensive genius with one of the most explosive offenses the NFL has seen in recent years.

However, the Dolphins have still not won a playoff game, and haven’t been competitive in the two they’ve played in. McDaniel has come under fire for failing to instill toughness in his players. They can win games in the regular season in the sunshine in Florida, but when it comes to taking on the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs on the road, in cold weather, Miami’s talent fades.

Some of the Dolphins’ struggles during McDaniel’s tenure haven’t been entirely his fault. This team has been consistently pressed with injuries, none more damaging than those to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

He’s missed a lot of time with head injuries, often leaving the Dolphins without a starting quarterback when it mattered. That includes the 2022 season playoff game against the Bills, in which Skylar Thompson had to start at QB.

Some believe McDaniel has ‘hit a wall’ when it comes to developing his scheme. It was explosive to begin with, but as his tenure has gone on, opposition coaches have done a better job of defending against his offense. Over time, the flashy offense has regressed, and they need to find their form again quickly in 2025.

The offensive line has been a part of their issue, but some of that sits on GM Chris Grier, who is also under a lot of pressure in 2025.

Miami has lost a lot of talent in the offseason, with free agents leaving for deals elsewhere, plus the trade involving both Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.

The pressure is on for McDaniel to bring the best out of his players this season, but he’ll need Tua to be healthy for the entire season to do that.