Yahoo Sports 8 NFL teams that could use Black Monday 2025 to make a coaching change
One of the toughest days on the NFL calendar awaits on Monday, as underperforming NFL teams who miss the postseason could fire their head coaches.
Three teams have already made coaching changes: the Chicago Bears, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets.
Interim coaches Thomas Brown (Bears), Darren Rizzi (Saints) and Jeff Ulbrich (Jets) will probably not be retained for the future, though they may get a chance to interview for the permanent jobs.
Outside of those three franchises, eight other teams could potentially move on from their current coaches. Let's run down who they are, who their coach is and how likely it is they are fired.
1. Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor
The Bengals are knocking on the door of the playoffs, so Taylor is probably the safest coach on this list. However, a disappointing year in Cincinnati has put Taylor's status in the spotlight. We don't think this is going to happen, but you can't totally rule it out if the Bengals miss the postseason.
2. Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy
Who knows what Jerry Jones is thinking about McCarthy right now. Dallas has been playing inspired football down the stretch, but the overall season has been a giant disappointment in an assumed lame-duck session for McCarthy on the sideline. Any result wouldn't shock us, honestly.
3. Indianapolis Colts: Shane Steichen
Steichen is only in his second season on the sideline in Indianapolis, but a promising 2023 has been derailed by uncertainty at the quarterback position. Anthony Richardson's struggles aren't all on Steichen, but he and general manager Chris Ballard might take the blame. This feels more likely than it did earlier in the season, but it's by no means a guarantee that the Colts make changes.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Doug Pederson
The Jaguars have gotten a couple of wins against the Tennessee Titans lately, but they've also lost to the Las Vegas Raiders. Pederson feels like the safest bet on this list to be out of a job on Monday, but he could hypothetically be retained if Jacksonville finishes the year on a high note.
5. Las Vegas Raiders: Antonio Pierce
Pierce's job status is genuinely unpredictable, as he's only been in his official role for a season and hasn't had any meaningful quarterback play. You could easily see Mark Davis give Pierce another chance with a new quarterback, but the coach is by no means a lock to return next season.
6. New England Patriots: Jerod Mayo
Mayo has only been the coach of the Patriots for a season, and the Kraft family had him waiting in the wings to replace Bill Belichick in the winter. A change here would be a mild surprise, but quarterback Drake Maye flashing real promise could alter the tenor in New England.
7. New York Giants: Brian Daboll
Daboll is like Pederson, probably on the outs after two straight disappointing seasons in New York. It's not a sure thing, but New York feels likely to find a new head coach and possibly a new general manager if Joe Schoen also gets the boot. No changes at all would feel like the biggest surprise.
8. Tennessee Titans: Brian Callahan
Callahan might be the safest name on this list as he was saddled with a quarterback (Will Levis) he had no say in drafting. Tennessee's season was an abject disaster, but Callahan probably won't lose his job over it. However, stranger things have happened in the NFL with these decisions.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 8 NFL teams that could use Black Monday 2025 to make a coaching change
