Sam’s Hot Seats for the Upcoming NFL Season: Coach Edition
We’re at that point in the off season where teams are beginning OTA’s and the June 1st deadline is less than two weeks away. Time to put out hot takes on who I think may be on the hot seat for this upcoming season.
Coaches:
- Zac Taylor
Hot Seat Level: Scorching HOT
Joe Burrow being absent from the field for most of last season might be the only reason Zac Taylor managed to keep his job with the Cincinnati Bengals for another season. In his tenure with the Bengals, Taylor has a total record of 52–63–1. The Bengals caught fire with a Super Bowl appearance in 2021 and then a following AFC Championship in 2022. Then out of nowhere, the Bengals started sputtering a bit, which kept them from double-digit wins for the last three seasons. Being fair, even having a 9-, 9-, and 6-win season is still tough to do in the NFL, but I don’t see this team hanging on to their head coach unless he produces a magical season for the Bengals. Cincinnati needs to bring in a higher level of coach while they have Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in their prime.
- Todd Bowles
Hot Seat Level: Toasty
Has the Baker Mayfield project failed? No, but Todd Bowles is flirting with his record shifting to below .500 unless he produces a solid season for Tampa Bay this year. The Buccaneers seem to be losing the spark they gained from Bruce Arians and Tom Brady in their Super Bowl run in 2021. While a Super Bowl win is hard to follow, Bowles’ team seems to be regressing each season, which has led to losing the Division title and missing playoff appearances in their last two seasons. Bowles can’t be blamed for all of his team’s misfortunes, but that’s exactly what will happen if he has another season that ends outside of the playoffs in what could be the “Easiest” division in the NFL. Longtime Buccaneer Mike Evans is gone, and the Bucs wide receivers are led by a veteran in Godwin and their stud rookie grab from last season, Emeka Egbuka. If Bowles can contend for the division again and keep the team above 8–9 wins, they may keep him around, but I’d assume that Bowles is out this year.
- Kevin O’Connell
Hot Seat Level: Spicy (but it didn’t have to be this way)
Coach Kevin O’Connell has been on a roller coaster in Minnesota. In 2022, the Vikings were led by Kirk Cousins and first-year coach Kevin O’Connell to a 13–4 season that ended in a disappointing Wild Card against the New York Giants. The Vikings’ luck didn’t improve in 2023 after Kirk Cousins ended his tenure with a ruptured Achilles in week 8. The Vikings ended that season with a 7–10 record, and Kirk Cousins decided to leave the team since he felt that the Vikings were no longer invested in him for the long term. O’Connell would then go into the 2024 NFL Draft and pick up National Champion QB J.J. McCarthy from the University of Michigan. McCarthy went into the preseason and suffered a torn meniscus, which prompted the acquisition of Sam Darnold, who helped lead the Vikings to a 14–3 season. How did the Vikings answer this success in 2025? They traded Sam Darnold to the Seattle Seahawks and stuck by J.J. McCarthy, only to have him replaced by midseason by Carson Wentz. Sam Darnold would go on to lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory this past year, and the Vikings continued to dig themselves a deeper hole. It’s genuinely upsetting that I even think O’Connell’s job is in danger. I think he’s a great coach, but I’m afraid his loyalty to the J.J. McCarthy pick may have been his downfall. Look for the Vikings to not improve much this year. I could see the Vikings going into the draft looking for another QB, but if that happens, I see O’Connell and J.J. McCarthy being removed from the team.
- Dan Campbell
Hot Seat Level: Preheating
Jesse and I have a jersey bet on this hot take of mine. What’s my hot take?
“Dan Campbell will be out as head coach for the Detroit Lions before the end of the 2027 NFL season.”
When this happens, Jesse will have to get me an NFL jersey of my choice.
Why do I think this? Simple. The Lions’ window for a Super Bowl is slowly closing.
Is Dan Campbell a bad coach? Not at all. Has Dan Campbell fumbled several big opportunities for the Lions with bad calls? Yes. Look. I get it. Saying Dan Campbell is anywhere near a hot seat is absurd since he’s brought the Lions from 3 wins in his first season to a minimum of 9 wins in the last 4 years. But I still think if the Lions don’t get over the postseason hump and win some meaningful games in the next two seasons, Dan Campbell will be relieved of his position as head coach. Would that make sense? Not really, but the Ravens also just clipped Harbaugh, so common sense no longer applies here.
- Dave Canales
Hot Seat Level: Not really that hot, but just don’t regress.
Canales isn’t necessarily on my hot seat list. In the last two seasons, he took the Panthers from a 5–12 record to an 8–9 record that won the division. While that’s great, Canales is dealing with the decision to release Bryce Young in the next offseason (unless he continues to improve) and losing his dual running back team of Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle. Chuba is a solid back, but I have no clue why they let Rico Dowdle go to the Steelers. I think Canales has a future with the Panthers, but the goal here needs to be a minimum 7–8 win season. Do not regress sharply and you are safe, Dave. If you fall off this year, you may have Young to share the blame, but then another young QB isn’t guaranteed to improve the lay of the land in North Carolina.
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