The Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns are the epitome of teams that have effectively given up on the season. The Raiders have no reason to even try and win games as Pete Carroll has run this team further into the ground each week. For the Browns, on the other hand...well the only good thing to come out of this season was Myles Garrett and his pursuit for the NFL single season sack record.
It’s pretty obvious the way the Browns’ offense continues to look bad and inconsistent that this team is out on Kevin Stefanski. That’s his side of the ball and aside from the special teams mishaps, has looked like the worst unit on the team all year. They weren’t built to be solid offensively, but this is beyond talent; they look careless out there.
Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
If it wasn’t painfully obvious that things are bad, then it certainly is now. The only other coach with more cause to get fired than Carroll and Stefanski is Gannon. Arizona has been bad this year and now that they could be moving on from Kyler Murray, you have to think more changes are coming.
They’ll most certainly be in the position to draft yet another franchise quarterback this spring and the best way to do that is with a new regime. Gannon is coaching on borrowed time with yet another losing season – his third in as many seasons at the helm.
Even with last year’s playoff push, Arizona finished 8-9. Despite some personnel issues, especially on defense, that doesn’t take the blame off of Gannon. At the end of the day, he hasn’t been able to figure out how to use Murray. Even if they want to run it back with Murray next season, it wouldn’t make sense to keep Gannon; if they’re done with Murray, it gives them more reason to start completely over.
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Stefanski looks like a coach that knows his days are numbered. There hasn’t been a spark in the offense. And though on paper it’s one of the worst in the NFL, it has shown promise with young and less-talented skill players. Sunday’s game against the Bears showed just how lifeless the offensive unit is.
The offensive line got eaten up all game, Sanders threw three interceptions and Jerry Jeudy still doesn’t know how to catch a ball. These are all problems that have hindered this Cleveland team, yet Stefanski hasn’t found a way to consistently coach around adversity. The offense has been holding this team back all season and the only person left to blame is Stefanski.
The Browns are just waiting around for Garrett to break the sack record so they can officially cash out on this season.
Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders
During the highlights show on FOX right after the early game, Maxx Crosby was yelling at Devin White as they were heading back to the sideline. We don’t know what was said during that exchange, but the perception is, things were heated. That’s the sign of a team that’s fractured. That’s the sign of a team that is starting to let the frustrations of the season seep into the game.
There’s nothing Carroll can do to salvage this year and honestly it should be his final year coaching altogether. Surely firing him isn’t ideal, but Carroll has let this team spiral. It shouldn’t be a shock that things aren’t good this year, but the Raiders were expecting to be far better than just two wins in 14 games.
This is a lost season for the Raiders and they have to decide if Carroll truly is the best coach to move forward with. It’s not ideal to be looking for a third coach in as many seasons; it’s also unacceptable to let this disaster linger over into the 2026 season too.
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals front office doesn’t have the courage to do what should be done. They’re a front office that veers from change and accepts mediocrity year in and year out. Just because Taylor won’t get fired, it doesn’t mean he avoids the hot seat altogether. The Bengals’ loss on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens showed a team that knows it’s over.
Joe Burrow’s statements earlier in the week about how much fun – or lack thereof – he’s currently having with football were a dark cloud over the team and that was clear on Sunday. Burrow didn’t look like himself and Cincinnati getting shutout amid a playoff race is even worse. Last year during a tight playoff race, the Bengals played like a motivated team, destined to find a way into the playoffs.
A year later, Burrow is once again coming off a major injury and the Bengals have to win out to stay in the playoff race, they lay a goose egg. Is Taylor not able to motivate this team anymore? What changed from a year ago? I’m not saying this season is all on Taylor. That said, it’s fair to think that a change wouldn’t be bad either.