While most NFL teams still have at least an outside chance at making the playoffs, not all of them can be so lucky. Organizations like the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders, for example, have already begun preparations for next season. That can, in some cases, include cleaning house and bringing in a new coaching staff.
The same can be said of underperforming teams or certain organizations stuck in neutral. You know who you are, Pittsburgh. The likes of Mike Tomlin and Pete Carroll face uncertain futures, while Mike McCarthy wants back in the game.
Raiders could fire their coach for second straight season
The Las Vegas Raiders fired Antonio Pierce to bring in a head coach with a Super Bowl pedigree. Carroll has won a Super Bowl and he's been to one more. Despite his infamous decision to throw from the one-yard line with Russell Wilson rather than run it up the middle with Marshawn Lynch, Carroll's resume is nearly flawless.
However, through 13 weeks of action in Vegas, it looks like the game has passed him by. That was the argument in Seattle, at least, when he was pushed out the door. It's the same suggestion Raiders fans have for what comes next. Carroll is 74 years old, easily making him the oldest head coach in the NFL. The Raiders are bad – and I mean really bad. Carroll's hand-picked quarterback, Geno Smith, has the most interceptions in the NFL. Vegas' decision to turn their roster into Seahawks 2.0 was the wrong one.
The Raiders relieved Chip Kelly of his duties just a few weeks ago. Carroll is reportedly on the hot seat as a result, and the Raiders putrid offense may be more his doing than Kelly's.
"Talking to people who know this offense very well, people who've studied this offense, played against it, they do not believe it was Chip Kelly's offense. They believe it was Pete Carroll's offense, specifically the Pete Carroll offense from Seattle 2023," Rapoport reported. "It sounds to me like if Chip Kelly had to do this again, he would not have taken this job."
Change could be coming in Sin City.
Titans have their eye on a Super Bowl-winning coach
The Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan in the middle of this season. It wasn't a great fit, and the front office didn't want to waste any more of Cam Ward's time, especially while he's early in his rookie contract and developmental phase. Tennessee's top priority for their next head coach will be finding someone who can help Ward along, and turn him into a franchise quarterback.
It's early, but the top-two candidates appear to be Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who previously coached the Chicago Bears, and former Packers and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy won a Super Bowl in Green Bay and is respected throughout the NFL.
Both of these men have connections in the Titans front office. Former Chiefs front office member Mike Borgonzi is the new Titans GM, and Tennessee's president of football operations, Chad Brinker, spent time with the Packers back when McCarthy was head coach.
Either candidate would be a fine hire, but McCarthy seems like the better fit on paper.
Mike Tomlin's future with Steelers is up to him
Mike Tomlin has coached the Steelers for the better part of two decades now. He's beloved within the organization, and Pittsburgh has a reputation for keeping head coaches well past their prime. To that point, as much as the Steelers would be better off finding a way to rid themselves of Tomlin, the decision will ultimately come down to him.
To that aforementioned reputation – Steelers ownership prefers it that way. It makes them a more attractive fit for assistants, front office executives and players. The culture they've built over the course of the last five decades-plus and six Super Bowls is much of why they rarely suffer a losing season.
That's all fine and good, but a wake-up call might be needed for the Steelers to reach familiar, yet new heights in the not-so-distant future. ESPN's Adam Schefter had a simple message for Pittsburgh: Don't hold your breath.
"The question is, does Mike Tomlin want to walk away? And he hasn't in the past," the NFL insider said. "And he gets to stay in that job as long as he wants, he's almost tenured in that particular job. He does look a little tired. He does look a little worn by the way this season has gone. The Steelers' next five games, obviously, are right in front of them, some tough games, some easier games, will have a chance to win the division if they can capitalize on that."
The Steelers are an attractive job for a reason. Tomlin knows that better than most, and if ownership and the front office aren't going to force him out, why would he try his luck anywhere else?