Hot seat: Which NFL head coaches are at risk of losing their job?

The dreaded “Black Monday” has finally arrived, people. This is the time of year when teams who didn’t make the playoffs change their coaching staff and try something new.

Come Monday, the debate will start, and coaches will undoubtedly be let go. Candidates will be discarded faster than a glitch on Twitter, and hot boards will be created, but the top candidates will mostly remain unchanged.

Here is a rundown of every NFL coaching firing, including an analysis of the situation

Houston Texans fire Lovie Smith:

It’s safe to assume that Lovie Smith wasn’t even the Texans’ second-choice head coach. He had to work with a subpar squad, including a quarterback who was almost certainly finished. It’s also important to discuss the risk of firing a Black coach after only one year on the job.

While it may be true, the Texans were a terrible football team. The offense was sluggish and unimaginative, and the defense lacked enough dynamic scorers to be effective. It’s possible that Smith was unfairly treated, but the fact remains that he was on a terrible team with much worse players.

Coches in the NFL hot seat

Arizona Cardinals - Kliff Kingsbury

If anybody is going to lose their job before Black Monday, it’s Kingsbury. According to sources, the 43-year-old signed a five-year deal before the 2022 season, increasing his annual salary to $5.5 million. The Cardinals’ current troubles make it doubtful that he will stay with the team for the duration of that contract.

Washington Commander - Ron Rivera

The Commanders have generally been unimpressive under Rivera, yet they have nevertheless managed to remain somewhat threatening. In another example, Rivera led Washington to the cusp of a wild-card berth in 2022.

Then he changed quarterbacks. Carson Wentz had a dreadful performance against Cleveland, and the Commanders watched their playoff dreams disappear.

Rivera remains well-liked in Washington’s front office. And with rumors circling regarding owner Daniel Snyder’s readiness to sell the club, it seems plausible that the coach might continue on for another year and bring stability for an organization that’s notorious for turmoil. With that said, he is still in the hot seat.

Cleveland Brown - Kevin Stefanski

The Browns’ season was plagued by controversy from the get-go and culminated in mediocre play. Some were surprised by the team’s determination to keep Deshaun Watson despite the many claims of sexual assault against him. When Watson returned after an 11-game ban, he looked visibly out of practice.

The Browns are currently last in the AFC North. Even though Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett played well as expected, the club still didn’t appear like a legitimate playoff contender, with or without Watson.

Despite the team’s struggles, the Browns’ front office is still committed to Stefanski. But it is one to look out for.

Las Vegas Raiders - Josh McDaniels

The Raiders were one of the few clubs in 2022 that made more promises than they kept. It looked that with the acquisition of Davante Adams, Las Vegas finally had their top-tier receiver. As long as Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and Josh Jacobs remained on the Silver and Black roster, they would make a comeback.

This did not occur. It’s seeming more and more likely that Derek Carr will be leaving the franchise in the summer. McDaniels suddenly finds himself in the headlines as the season’s final week approaches.

Keep updated the with latest news on all NFL Black Monday

As the day progresses and this dreadful Monday for NFL coaches starts to crumble against them, we will update this piece with the most up-to-date information on who will stay and who will go.