Dennis Allen getting fired Monday morning could be the start of a domino effect of coaches headed out the door.
Mid-season coaching changes are always interesting, but sometimes when things have reached a point of no return, there’s nothing left to do but begin the rebuilding phase early. That’s what the New Orleans Saints have decided to do.
And with Allen being the second in-season coaching change made in the 2024 season, could there be more on the horizon?
I guess the better question is: Who’s next? There are quite a few teams reeling and a handful of teams that might be considering a coaching change after Week 9. Here’s who should be out of a job next and join Dennis Allen in the coaching carousel.
3. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
This seems inevitable. The question is how long are Jaguars willing to wait before deciding enough is enough with Doug Pederson. It’s time they take a page out of New Orleans’s book and make the move immediately.
Pederson has gone downhill since his first year in Jacksonville. He inherited a team that should be competing for AFC South division titles. Instead, they’re bottomfeeders in 2024 and on the verge of fighting for a top pick in next year’s draft.
Ever since last season’s implosion that saw the Jags lose five of the last six games, it’s been disappointing in Duval County. And firing Pederson would only expedite the head coaching search.
This feels very much like Pederson’s days are numbered in Jacksonville. I’m not quite sure what went wrong, but Pederson wasn’t able to have that same Philly magic he did when he led Nick Foles and the Eagles to a Super Bowl.
Even in his best season in Jacksonville when he won a playoff game the Jaguars had no business winning, he only won eight games. He only has one double-digit win season in his coaching career and it’s the year he won a Super Bowl.
Allen getting fired should trigger Pederson as the next coach out the door. We’re way past the chopping block point with Pederson.
2. Brian Daboll, New York Giants
It’s time to start seriously talking about Brian Daboll coaching his final days in New York. He doesn’t get a pass for last season when his starting quarterback missed most of last year with a torn ACL.
When Daniels got hurt last season, they were literally in the exact same position they’re in right now: 2-7 and clueless about what to do, moving forward.
Daboll’s best season was his first year and he won just nine games and managed to get a playoff win — crazy how similar his tenure is to Pederson’s.
He’s done nothing to improve this Giants team since he took it over. He’s been overshadowed by how bad some of the other teams around the league are. But it’s time to start thinking about who the next coach in New York is going to be.
Just like Allen was canned after losing to the Carolina Panthers, if the Giants lose to Carolina overseas in Germany, Daboll might not have a seat on the plane back to East Rutherford.
1. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
The only grace I’ll give Mike McCarthy is it ain’t easy being a coach of the Dallas Cowboys with Jerry Jones as the owner. But he only gets a little grace because he knew exactly what he was walking into when Jones hired him back in 2020.
His tenure in Dallas has been very underwhelming. I couldn’t care less about his record in Arlington or even how many winning seasons he’s had. Because he has just one playoff win in his four seasons and has quite frankly been disappointing since his arrival.
He’s staring his second losing season in the face if Dallas doesn’t get on track and with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s availability in limbo, McCarthy could get the boot before season’s end.
Jerry Jones is clearly fed up with the team’s production right now and while he’s largely to blame for that, McCarthy has done very little with the talent on this team. Three straight 12-win seasons have turned into a combined one playoff win.
Over the next month, the Cowboys could realistically lose the next three games before meeting the Giants on Thanksgiving Day. That could be a game of interim coaches by then if McCarthy doesn’t turn this team around.
With Allen and Robert Saleh getting fired already this season, owners are clearly showing no patience with coaches this year. If these three coaches aren’t careful, they could all very well be without a job before the end of the calendar year.