2026 NFL coaching news: Falcons fire coach Raheem Morris, GM Terry Fontenot

The NFL regular season has drawn to a close. Black Sunday and Monday are upon us, and we’ll find out which coaches won’t be back for the 2026 season.

The first victims of the week were Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, who were both fired on Sunday after the Falcons finished the season 8-9.

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Two head coaches, the Tennessee Titans’ Brian Callahan and the New York Giants’ Brian Daboll, lost their jobs during the season. Another whose status might have been in question, Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen, is reportedly returning next season, along with general manager Chris Ballard.

Here are the names to keep an eye on this week, plus the latest updates.

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Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders

Record with team: 3-14, first season

Why he might get fired: Carroll was supposed to bring stability to the franchise, but it’s been more losing under the 74-year-old former Super Bowl winner. The Raiders haven’t won since Week 6, the offseason trade for Carroll’s preferred QB Geno Smith hasn’t yielded much, the offensive and special teams coordinators were both fired in November, and now there’s a dispute with Maxx Crosby over the star pass rusher being placed on injured reserve. None of this reflects well on Carroll, who may be in over his head trying to fix a franchise where the rot goes much deeper (and higher).

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Why he might be safe: There was a reason Carroll was hired. He is almost 40 games over .500 for his NFL career, and that’s counting this season’s debacle. Also, Mark Davis has paid out a lot of money for failed coaches over the past few years, and maybe he doesn’t want to shell out for Carroll, too. Still, it’s hard to find a great reason to stick with Carroll, given his age and the Raiders’ need for an organization-wide reset.

Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

Record with team: 46-58 (including playoffs), sixth season

Why he might get fired: The Browns suffered their fourth losing record in six years under Stefanski, as well as a second straight year picking in the top seven of the draft. The cataclysmic Deshaun Watson trade is partly on Stefanski, who recruited him in the spring of 2022, and for all of Stefanski’s offensive acumen, none of the 13 (!) quarterbacks who’ve started under his watch has proven to be the long-term solution.

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Why he might be safe: Stefanski has done quite a bit with limited talent, especially on offense, and team owner Jimmy Haslam might give him a chance to actually develop a highly drafted QB. Stefanski has also been to the playoffs twice and maintains a steady demeanor, win or lose. He has won NFL Coach of the Year twice, and it’s not like this would be an attractive opening for this cycle’s top candidates.

Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals

Record with team: 15-36, third season

Why he might get fired: Gannon was hired in part to toughen up Arizona’s defense, and that hasn’t really happened. This year’s unit is 26th in EPA per play allowed, 27th in success rate allowed, and in general hasn’t taken a step forward despite 17 of Gannon’s 28 draft picks being on that side of the ball, including six of seven last spring. It’s hard to say the Cardinals are demonstrably better than they were when Gannon was hired.

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Why he might be safe: Kyler Murray is the biggest question lingering over the franchise, and Gannon might be winning more with better QB play. Perhaps team owner Michael Bidwill gives him a chance to prove it. He did have the Cardinals on an upward trajectory through his first two seasons.

Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins

Record with team: 35-35 (including playoffs), fourth season

Why he might get fired: The story of the McDaniel era (thus far) is starting with a bang and petering out, both in the micro and macro. He made the playoffs his first two seasons (including a hallowed 70 burger against the Broncos), but lost six of the last seven in 2022 and four of his last six in 2023. Since then, his motion-heavy, speed-oriented offense has been less effective against the league as a whole, and off-field issues (including players reportedly running out defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles last season) suggest McDaniel doesn’t have much command of the locker room.

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Why he might be safe: Tua Tagovailoa’s limitations and concussion concerns have limited the Dolphins, and if they don’t bring him back next season, the salary cap hit would be so big that team owner Stephen Ross might decide it’s worth keeping McDaniel around one more year to get out from under it.

Aaron Glenn, New York Jets

Record with team: 3-14, first season

Why he might get fired: The Jets have been largely non-competitive, and that’s not what anyone expected in Glenn’s first season. He earned respect as a Pro Bowl player and the Lions’ defensive coordinator the past few seasons, but the Jets’ defense has regressed, the quarterback play has been bad, and the Jets were big-time sellers at the trade deadline. Justin Fields was benched in November and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was fired in December. There aren’t many more heads to roll here.

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Why he might be safe: At the league meetings in October, team owner Woody Johnson was candid that the Jets’ problems were at QB, not with Glenn. That carries a lot of weight, and Johnson’s stance reportedly hasn’t changed. The Jets also have five first-round draft picks in the next two drafts, and there’s ample opportunity for Glenn to reshape the franchise in his image.

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

Record with team: 193-123 (including playoffs), 18th season

Why he might get fired: The Ravens have been surprisingly mediocre this season, and it can’t all be attributed to Lamar Jackson’s injuries. Their defense has yo-yo’d between outright bad and competent, and some of Harbaugh’s in-game decisions have drawn scrutiny. Harbaugh has failed to get back to the Super Bowl with a two-time MVP quarterback in Jackson, and there’s a general sense that a breath of fresh air at head coach might be good for the Ravens.

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Why he might be safe: Harbaugh has had only two losing seasons, and the stability he brings the organization is valuable. If he’s not back, it won’t be because he became a bad coach overnight.

Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

Record with team: 200-125-2 (including playoffs), 19th season

Why he might get fired: A few weeks ago, fans were chanting “Fire Tomlin” during a blowout loss to the Bills. Then the Steelers took control over the AFC North and all was forgotten. But a loss to the 4-12 Browns, when Pittsburgh had a shot to clinch the division, forced a winner-take-all game against the Ravens in Week 18. Would a loss in that game, and no playoff berth, restart the talk about the Steelers and Tomlin both needing fresh starts?

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Why he might be safe: Tomlin is a very good coach and to the chagrin of many Steelers fans, has had unending support from ownership. The Steelers value continuity, so they wouldn’t make a rash decision on Tomlin’s future. And it seems even more unlikely they’d make a move if the Steelers win the AFC North in the season finale.

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Record with team: 36-36, fourth season

Why he might get fired: Despite winning Saturday against the Panthers, the Saints’ defeat Sunday blocked the Bucs from the postseason. Entering Week 18, Bowles’ Buccaneers lost seven of eight. The downturn came as they got healthier, which was confusing. There were some bad losses, and for a coach without a great career record, maybe there isn’t a reason to believe things will be decidedly better in the 2026 season.

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Why he might be safe: Bowles was on the verge of his fourth straight division title, albeit in a mediocre NFC South. This is the first time in Bowles’ run with Tampa that the Bucs haven’t made the postseason.

Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals

Record with team: 57-65-1, seventh season

Why he might get fired: The Bengals have missed the playoffs three straight seasons in Joe Burrow’s prime. Some of that can be attributed to Burrow’s injuries, but the Bengals’ deficiencies in protecting Burrow have contributed to his injuries. And the team around Burrow, particularly the defense, hasn’t been very good in a few years. Burrow expressed earlier this season that he wasn’t having fun, and while he has not pinned that on Taylor, the Bengals need to figure out what changes need to be made to keep Burrow happy.

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Why he might be safe: One run to the Super Bowl is doing a lot of the heavy lifting on Taylor’s résumé. That came back during the 2021 season. That has carried the reputation of the Bengals being annual contenders in the AFC, if Burrow could just stay healthy. Also, this is the Bengals, and they’re not going to want to pay someone who isn’t coaching for them anymore.

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