Three NFL general managers firmly on the hot seat in 2026

When an NFL team fails, the head coach usually gets dragged to the podium first. He answers the questions, explains the same mistakes and eventually becomes the guy shown the door.

General managers can hide a little longer.

Not forever, though.

These three executives enter 2026 with uncomfortable questions surrounding the teams they built. Another bad season could finally produce an answer they will not like.

3. Duke Tobin, Cincinnati Bengals

At some point, having Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase has to result in more than entertaining Sundays and January vacation plans.

Duke Tobin deserves credit for assembling the Bengals roster that reached Super Bowl LVI. Cincinnati returned to the AFC Championship Game the following season, too. That feels like ancient history now.

The Bengals have missed the playoffs three years in a row, largely because their defense has deteriorated around one of football’s best offenses. 

Identifying the problem is not enough when everyone watching from the couch reached the same conclusion months earlier. Tobin had another offseason to repair the defense. If Cincinnati wastes another healthy season from Burrow, ownership cannot simply blame Zac Taylor and call it a day.

The roster belongs to Tobin. So does its most glaring weakness.

2. Andrew Berry, Cleveland Browns

Andrew Berry has spent six years running the Browns, and it remains difficult to explain exactly where Cleveland is headed.

The Deshaun Watson trade wrecked the franchise’s plans at quarterback and swallowed an absurd amount of money. Ownership undoubtedly played a role in that decision, but Berry cannot completely separate himself from one of the worst trades in league history.

Now the Browns are starting over again.

Trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams brought Cleveland Jared Verse and three draft picks. It was a strong return for a superstar who wanted out. It also left Berry responsible for rebuilding a team without its best player.

That is the uncomfortable part. Berry received more draft capital and helped select a new head coach in Todd Monken. Cleveland does not have to become a playoff team overnight, but it does need to resemble a franchise with an actual plan.

Another year of quarterback chaos and double-digit losses will be difficult to sell. Browns fans have already purchased that product several times. The packaging changes. The disappointment inside usually does not.

1. Joe Schoen, New York Giants

Joe Schoen already survived the type of season that gets most general managers fired.

The Giants finished 4-13 in 2025 and fired Brian Daboll. Ownership kept Schoen, then hired John Harbaugh to take over the team. Under the new setup, Harbaugh and Schoen both report directly to ownership.

Read between those lines. Schoen is not untouchable.

New York has posted three consecutive seasons with fewer than seven victories. The roster has holes, expensive mistakes and few proven building blocks outside of a handful of young players. Schoen can no longer blame the condition of the team he inherited in 2022. This is his roster now.

Jaxson Dart may determine what happens next. If the young quarterback develops and the Giants show real progress under Harbaugh, Schoen can make a case that his rebuild is finally coming together.

If they stumble through another miserable season, ownership will face a simple choice: keep the general manager responsible for the roster or give an accomplished coach greater control over the organization.

Schoen survived the first purge. Unless the Giants finally start winning, he probably will not survive the next one.