4 coaches who solidified their pink slips after Week 17 losses

As more and more teams clinch playoff berths, more and more will decide to move on from their head coaches. Each offseason, roughly a quarter of the league opts to make a change at the helm of the operation. Last year saw only five head-coaching jobs come available. This came after the 2021-22 offseason cycle that saw a whopping 10 jobs open up. Look for this year to be well beyond just three.

Entering Week 17, three NFL teams already decided to make a change at head coach. The first team to do it was the Las Vegas Raiders. A few weeks later, the Carolina Panthers decided they wanted another new head coach, too. Most recently, the Los Angeles Chargers opted to go in a different direction. None of these jobs are great ones, but you better believe that other better ones will soon follow.

With one more week left in the regular season after this, Black Monday could not come sooner for a handful of franchises. Expect anywhere between two and five more teams to make a big change. Some jobs could open up as soon as New Year's Day. Regardless, the plug still needs to be pulled on a handful of operations across the league. It is a new year and some franchises will need a new voice.

Here are four NFL head coaches who may have earned their pink slip after Week 17's performances.

4. Robert Saleh is synonymous with putrid quarterback play in New York

The New York Jets may have played their Week 17 game on Thursday Night Football, but one thing remains true. Gang Green has no remote clue about quarterbacks. They gave up the farm for a few snaps from Aaron Rodgers this season. In the weeks since, they have circled the drain as they usually do. What makes Robert Saleh's seat getting a bit toasty was the play of Joe Flacco for the opposition.

Flacco played for the Jets not that long ago. He may have looked completely washed in New York, but he has found the fountain of youth ... in Cleveland of all places! With the Browns' latest victory over the Jets, it is abundantly clear that the Jets continue to be at a massive coaching disadvantage with Saleh at the helm. Kevin Stefanski ate his breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the primetime affair.

At some point, you need to look yourself in the mirror and hold yourself accountable. You cannot say that the Jets' season completely ended in Week 1 with Rodgers' injury. There are a handful of other teams who also suffered major injuries to their starting quarterback and still found a way to figure it out. Saleh may get another year, but he is living on borrowed time and a ton of excuses in New York.

Keep in mind that Rodgers was drafted three years earlier out of Cal than Flacco was out of Delaware.