With Week 18 officially in the rearview mirror, the 2023 NFL regular season is officially in the books. Like every year, 2023 brought with it plenty of coaching criticism leading to rampant speculation as to who will be returning to their teams in 2024.
We had three in season coaching firings, with the Raiders finally pulling the plug on an extremely disappointing Josh McDaniels tenure and handing the reins over to Antonio Pierce. The Raiders have been more competitive since the coaching change, and the locker room vibes improved the second McDaniels walked out the door. Las Vegas has a horrible reputation for making smart coaching hires over the past couple of decades, running through 13 total coaches since 2002 while only making the playoffs three times. In just over two years, they’ve gone through eight coaches or executives, including McDaniels reported 6 year deal that he signed in 2022 for roughly $60 Million. With so much money owed to coaches and executives that are no longer a part of the franchise, it’s hard to believe that the Raiders can talk themselves into big name hunting again this offseason. Pierce has a good read of the locker room, and the players clearly respect him and are now competing in every game despite the lack of overall talent on the roster.
The Carolina Panthers also moved on from their coach mid-season, firing Frank Reich after just 11 games – the shortest tenure for an NFL head coach in the last 45 years. #1 overall pick Bryce Young looked completely out of place in the NFL during his time with Reich, and the rumours began early that C.J. Stroud was Reich’s preferred choice but was overruled by Panthers owner David Tepper. Tepper has now bungled back to back coaching hires and early reports indicate he’s looking to make a big splash in the coaching free agency market. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson appears to have earned a promotion after opting to return to the Lions in 2023 despite interest from teams last offseason. It sounds like Tepper is ready to hand over a blank cheque to Johnson to have him get the Panthers back on track. But without their 1st round pick and plenty of holes on the roster after a terrible free agency period, Johnson might look for greener pastures elsewhere.
Finally, the Chargers finally moved on from Brandon Staley (and 11 year GM Tom Telesco) immediately after getting blown out by the Pierce led Raiders in front of a national audience on Thursday Night Football, 63 – 21. The team, as is tradition, was hampered by injuries all year, but after a questionable offseason and draft, the now former Chargers regime entered the season on an extremely short leash.
There were plenty of valid arguments that Staley should have been let go after last season after the team lost in the wildcard round of the playoffs to the Jaguars in a game they were leading by 27 points at one point. The Chargers only managed to score three points in the entire second half, losing 31-30. The organization has had only two playoff wins since 2013 and haven’t made a conference championship since 2007, despite consistently possessing a highly skilled roster. This team desperately needed a full overhaul and move onto a new regime that’s committed to winning. They already have Herbert signed for the next 5 years, but Telesco’s other failed signings have them entering the 2024 offseason with the fourth least cap space in the league. The Chargers are already linked to every splashy big name head coach signing, from Ben Johnson to Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, but there’s a lot of work to do to get this franchise back on track.
While I’m not here to advocate for coaches to get fired – they are human beings who devote so much of their life to the sport that we all get to sit at home and enjoy – there are some coaches who just simply did not perform well enough to retain one of the 32 jobs that this league offers. Let’s dive into who should be collecting a paycheck from home after this season.
Confirmed Gone
Ron Rivera – Washington Commanders
Truthfully, Rivera should have been let go last offseason, but with new ownership taking over it was probably easier for them to retain him for one more year and reevaluate in 2024. They brought in former Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bienimy to help boost the offense, and while Sam Howell’s end of season numbers look ok (3793 yards, 12th in the NFL) there were plenty of garbage time yards for Howell this season.
The offense didn’t take the leap it was expected to take, which looks like it has also cratered Bieniemy’s chances at a head coaching position himself – something he’s interviewed for multiple times now but has yet to secure. Rivera was nicknamed Riverboat Ron when he arrived from Carolina as he had a propensity to take risks to keep moving the ball on offense. But the past couple of seasons it looks like that boat ran ashore. He has a reputation as being one of the nicest guys in the NFL, but his loyalty to Jack Del Rio on the defensive side of the ball put the team in a massive hole game after game. The Commanders have gone 1-9 down the stretch and are in a prime position to infuse this roster with some high end young talent in this year’s draft. They should be looking to find a young dynamic coach who can lead them into their new era and unlock the offensive weapons already on the roster.
Arthur Smith – Atlanta Falcons
Anyone who listens to the Dynes Sports Podcast or has read my articles over this past season should know my stance on Arthur Smith by now. Smith has taken prime offensive talent season after season in the draft but hasn’t shown a single sign of knowing how to use it. His uneven treatment of players is mind boggling – Kyle Pitts’s development in the NFL has stalled as Smith constantly used him as a decoy, and he repeatedly took rookie running back Bijan Robinson off the field in key offensive moments this past season, all while giving Desmond Ridder far too many chances to prove that he isn’t a bust (spoiler – he is). Falcons owner Arthur Blank gave Smith a vote of confidence a few weeks ago when it looked like the Falcons were in line to win the weak NFC south, saying that Smith would be back barring a major collapse. Well, Smith and the Falcons proceeded to get blown out by the Bears 37-17, and missed the playoffs altogether. The Falcons cannot continue to be a directionless team with tons of offensive weapons and no clue how to use them. A new coaching regime and a heavy investment in a quarterback can turn this franchise around quicker than one might think.
Coach’s Choice
Mike Vrabel – Tennessee Titans
The 2021 NFL coach of the year has likely spent his last season in Tennessee. Vrabel is still one of the best coaches in the league, but it feels like he and the Titans are ready for a mutual parting of ways. The Titans have several aging veterans whose contracts are set to expire, and after a disappointing 5-11 season, this team feels like it needs a full scale rebuild. They’ll enter the offseason with the second most cap space in the NFL, a top 10 pick and have even seen some promise from Will Levis at quarterback. If Vrabel does indeed decide that a rebuild in Tennessee isn’t something he’s interested in, the Titans could gain additional picks by trading their head coach and bringing in an exciting new voice as the team tries to get younger. With the Texans, Colts and Jaguars all seemingly taking big steps in their development, the Titans need to do more than just continue to run back the same team and moonwalk into a playoff spot. The AFC South is no longer the pushover it once was.
Bill Belichick – New England Patriots
After two decades of unparalleled success, something has to change in New England. The Patriots offense has gone from 6th in the league in yards per game in 2021, to 17th in 2022, to dead last this past season. Belichick has given the franchise so much that he should probably have a free pass to stay or go as he pleases, but after years of questionable drafts, and bizarre personnel hires it’s clear that he can no longer be the head coach AND general manager in the NFL. Patriots owner Robert Kraft needs to have a frank discussion with the organization’s all time winningest coach and put someone in place to take over the off field aspects. I think that Kraft will give him an ultimatum – either Belichick gives up some of the team control but stays on as a head coach, or they part ways this offseason. The choice should be Belichick’s – the Patriots would be lucky to retain him as a coach as he still has so much to offer this young team – but for a franchise that knows more about winning than any franchise since the early 2000’s, they need to make a hard decision about what direction this team is going in fast.
More To Prove
Sean McDermott – Buffalo Bills
There’s no denying it’s been a strange year in Buffalo. It wasn’t that long ago where this looked like it was going to be a wasted season – the Bills were far outside the playoff picture, McDermott used his offensive coordinator as a scapegoat after their defense and special teams units cost them a game, and reports emerged surrounding McDermott’s now infamous 9/11 “motivational speech.” Despite all that, the Bills are playoff bound and are the one team no one wants to face once the postseason kicks off. However, the Bills season has too many red flags for a team with grand expectations and a roster with this much talent. So if the Bills are one and done, management has to take a serious look at McDermott and decide if he is in fact the right man to get the Bills over the hump.
Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys
It’s the end of the regular season, so like clockwork, the Dallas Cowboys head coaching position is up for debate. McCarthy is wrapping up his 4th season as the Cowboys head coach and has a very strong 41 – 25 regular season record. Unfortunately that hasn’t translated to much playoff success, with only one wildcard victory to his name so far in Dallas. McCarthy entered the season on the hot seat, and many pundits believed that the loss of Kellen Moore as their offensive coordinator would hurt the team’s offense. But McCarthy has coached them to a divisional title and they have both a top 6 offense and defense on the season. But we all know one thing – things are a little bit bigger in Texas. And if McCarthy can’t get this team to go on a successful playoff run, the scrutiny of his shortcomings may become too much for owner Jerry Jones to ignore.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.