Robert Saleh fired: Other NFL coaches in the hot seat after Week 5

It’s not common for an NFL team to fire a head coach this early on in a season, but it’s not unprecedented either. Still, it was a little shocking when the New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh after just five games, with a 2-3 record. Jets owner Woody Johnson said, however, that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

“It’s not just the last two games that has precipitated this decision; it’s a longer time frame,” Johnson said. “I’ve had a couple years to think about this, and, yeah, I just think we can do better. The team can do better as we have this new leadership.”

Johnson is surely not the only NFL owner who has been considering that a change in leadership could lead to improvement on the field. There are several other coaches in the league right now whose seat is getting hotter every week, and who probably feel just a little less secure after Saleh’s firing. Here are some other NFL head coaches who are currently coaching for their jobs.

NFL coaches in the hot seat after Week 5

Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys

McCarthy is in his fifth season with the Cowboys and in the final year of his contract. In his last three years, he’s managed to take them to 12-win seasons, but repeatedly failed to not only take them to their first Super Bowl since ‘96, but also failed to even get them past the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Considering the offseason changes, injuries that have occurred since then, and the way the Cowboys have performed in their losses so far, the outlook doesn’t look good for another 12-win season, let alone an improved one in which they make a deep playoff run. If that’s the case, there are lots of other options out there for Dallas to choose from.

Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars

Pederson may have saved his job for one more week after the Jaguars finally got their first win of the season last week. That’s just his second win in Jacksonville’s last 11 games though, dating back to last season. They’ve lost six straight road games, including their embarrassing 17-10 loss to the Bills, when Jags owner Shad Khan was “angrier than I have ever seen”, according to a source close to him. Yet when asked if he was worried about his job status after starting the season 0-4, Pederson seemed shocked at the insinuation.

With three of their next four games coming against difficult opponents (Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia Eagles), the road ahead looks grim.

Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

It’s pretty clear that Deshaun Watson is not the quarterback he used to be, and yet Stefanski (whether because he wants to or feels obligated to) and the Browns are sticking by him after the immense financial commitment they’ve made to him. They’re at 1-4 on the season with Watson under center. Stefanski won Coach of the Year in both 2020 and 2023, but that was with Baker Mayfield and Joe Flacco. Unfortunately for Stefanski, he’s likely to go before Watson is.

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals

Taylor is under scrutiny now after their 41-38 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens (arguably caused by Taylor’s playcalling) on Sunday and a 1-4 start to the season. By now, we would have thought the Bengals would have turned the season around, but they haven’t, and their upcoming schedule doesn’t leave a lot of hope either. For Taylor to make it past this season (or even through it), he’ll need to have a massive turnaround.