The 2024 NFL regular season is in the books, and soon all eyes will be on the 14 teams heading to the playoffs, beginning with this upcoming weekend’s wild-card round. Before then, the teams on the outside looking will likely be making headlines.
Last season, nearly a quarter of the NFL’s franchises had head coaching turnover. What does 2025 hold for teams that are looking for a fresh start, besides their favorable draft position? Here’s a look at the notable coaching landscape:
Las Vegas Raiders: Antonio Pierce still has his job. As far as he knows, at least. The Las Vegas Raiders head coach told reporters at his Monday news conference that he hasn’t “heard anything different” regarding his job status on the heels of a 4-13 campaign featuring more than its share of turmoil. Team owner Mark Davis had not addressed the Raiders’ coaching job as of the time of Pierce’s news conference.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jags owner Shad Khan released a statement Monday announcing the firing of Doug Pederson, a move that had been expected since the middle of the season. The 4-13 Jaguars started 2024 with a four-game losing streak, then lost five straight games from Week 8 through 13 while QB Trevor Lawrence had another injury-filled season. While Pederson has been fired, general manager Trent Baalke will remain in place.
New England Patriots: The Patriots now need a new head coach after firing Jerod Mayo right after their Week 18 victory over the Bills, which meant they lost out on the No. 1 overall pick. With Drake Maye in place, it’s an attractive opening, as much as the rest of the roster needs work. Team owner Robert Kraft will presumably have more patience with the next hire than Mayo, a former Patriots player who lasted just one season replacing Bill Belichick.
New Orleans Saints: Dennis Allen was fired on Nov. 4 after a seventh straight loss that evaporated a strong 2-0 start. Allen went 18-25 in three seasons in New Orleans and failed to make the postseason. Darren Rizzi finished the 2024 campaign 5-12. Whoever takes the reins faces a rebuild amid the Saints’ usual salary-cap headaches and uncertainty at the QB position.
Chicago Bears: The Bears made history by firing their head coach in-season for the first time, with Thomas Brown taking over as the team was amid a 10-game losing streak that ended with a win over the Packers in the season finale. Whoever replaces Matt Eberflus will be charged primarily with getting No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams on track after a rocky rookie season.
Here’s a full list of interview candidates for each team.
As for the teams that will turn their attention to playoff preparation over the next two weeks, here’s a look at next weekend’s matchups.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports as the NFL turns the page from the regular season to the playoffs.
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Raiders fire head coach Antonio Pierce
By the end of last season, Antonio Pierce had rallied the Las Vegas Raiders during a successful stint as interim coach and got the chance to replicate that success as the permanent head coach this season.
He couldn’t.
The Raiders started 2-12 and it was clear that the Pierce experiment wouldn’t last another season. Pierce was fired on Tuesday afternoon, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Good news for the Lions. Starting cornerback Terrion Arnold is considered day-to-day with a foot contusion after being carted off the field during Sunday’s season-finale win over the Vikings, NFL Network reports. X-Rays on his foot were negative.
A first-round rookie, Arnold started 15 games during the regular season. He tallied 10 passes defended and 60 tackles while allowing a 55.6 completion percentage on 90 targets thrown in his direction.
Arnold’s status is a relief in Detroit for a Lions defense that’s been decimated by season-ending injuries to key players, including Pro Bowl pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC despite those injuries, and Arnold will have an extra week to recover thanks to the Lions’ first-round bye in the playoffs.
#Lions first-round CB Terrion Arnold, who was carted off the field on Sunday night, is now considered day-to-day with a foot contusion, sources say.
The Titans have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, but a new general manager will be in charge of making it. The team announced Tuesday morning that they have fired GM Ran Carthon just two years into a six-year contract.
Ezekiel Elliott is headed to the playoffs after all. The longtime Cowboys running back has signed a deal to land on the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad ahead of the postseason.
The goal, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, is to get him ready quickly and hopefully join their active roster. The Chargers will take on the Texans in the first round on Saturday.
Bears request interview with former Stanford coach David Shaw
Add another candidate to the Bears’ head coaching search. The team has requested to interview David Shaw, currently a personnel executive with the Broncos and former Stanford head coach.
The #Bears have requested to interview former #Stanford coach and currently #Broncos Senior Personnel Executive David Shaw for their vacant HC position, source said.
Shaw coached Stanford for 12 seasons, compiling a 96–54 record with five first-place finishes in the Pac-12 North division. NFL quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Davis Mills were among the players he developed. Shaw also had assistant coaching stints with the Eagles, Raiders and Ravens before joining Jim Harbaugh’s staff as offensive coordinator, also coaching wide receivers and running backs.
The Colts are sticking with Shane Steichen next season, but he’ll have a new defensive coordinator. The team fired Gus Bradley on Monday afternoon.
Bradley spent the last three seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator.
“I’m appreciative of Gus and the commitment he made to the Colts,” Steichen said in a statement. “He is a man of great character, and I have the utmost respect for him. I felt like we needed to move in a different direction. I wish Gus and his family all the best moving forward.”
Rex Ryan confident he’s going to be the next Jets coach
Rex Ryan is not only confident he’s going to become the next head coach of the Jets, but he believes he can reign in Aaron Rodgers.
“If he’s back, it ain’t gonna be the country club, show up whenever the hell you want to show up,” Ryan said. “That ain’t gonna happen. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Click the photo to read more about Rex Ryan and his potential future with the Jets organization. (David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
The Bears are reportedly interested in Mike McCarthy
The search for a new Chicago Bears coach is on in earnest with the conclusion of the NFL’s regular season, and it reportedly includes a surprising new candidate.
Per ESPN, the Bears have requested permission from the Dallas Cowboys to interview their head coach Mike McCarthy. Per the report, the Bears are now awaiting a response from the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones.
Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol as Eagles prepare for playoffs
Quarterback Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for Sunday’s wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers.
Head coach Nick Sirianni told the media on Monday that Hurts is still in the protocol following the concussion he sustained early in the Eagles’ Week 16 game against the Washington Commanders. He missed the remainder of the game, which the Eagles lost, and didn’t play in Week 17 or 18. Kenny Pickett filled in for Hurts in Week 16 and part of Week 17. Tanner McKee stepped in after Pickett took a nasty shot to the ribs in Week 17, then made his very first NFL start against the New York Giants in Week 18.
Sirianni didn’t give any details, which has been true of every “update” he’s given since Hurts entered the protocol following Week 16. The Eagles haven’t released any information on whether Hurts has been progressing through the various stages of the protocol, but Sirianni confirmed that Hurts was present at Saturday’s walkthrough.
Antonio Pierce is still Raiders coach as far as he knows
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce spoke with media on Monday, and he still has his job. As far as he knows, at least. Pierce told reporters that he hasn’t “heard anything different” about his job status on the heels of a 4-13 season.
#Raiders HC Antonio Pierce says he hasn’t “heard anything different” other than he’s back for 2025. Says all of that talk is coming from the outside, not the inside.
Bears request interview with Giants OC Mike Kafka, but Seahawks could be in play
The Bears have requested permission to interview Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka for their open head coaching job. He’ll be one of many interviewing for that open position, so there is a plan B in play…
And that plan B could be the Seahawks, who just fired Ryan Grubb as their offensive coordinator. A year ago, the Seahawks and their new head coach Mike Macdonald had requested permission to interview Kafka to be their new OC, but the Giants blocked their request. With the Giants trying to remake themselves without replacing their head coach or GM, they’re unlikely to want to hold on to coordinators like Kafka. If the Bears don’t work out, Kafka might head for Seattle.
Rex Ryan sounds pretty confident he’s going to land the Jets job
Rex Ryan, former Jets head coach, wants to be their head coach again. He’s got a chance, as he’s on the growing list of candidates (now up to 12) the Jets are interviewing. But Ryan is exceedingly confident that he’s going to get the job, as he said during a radio interview on Monday morning.
Seahawks reportedly fire OC Ryan Grubb after one season
The Seahawks are making a change at offensive coordinator, reportedly firing Ryan Grubb after one season with the team, his first coaching at any level in the NFL.
Seahawks’ first-year head coach Mike Macdonald hired Grubb onto his staff following a long career in offensive college coaching. He was hired by Kalen DeBoer as a member of the Sioux Falls coaching team, and followed DeBoer to Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, and finally to Washington, where DeBoer named him assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach.
The Seahawks have fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after one season with the team, sources say
Bears interim HC Thomas Brown will interview for full position at unknown time
Thomas Brown, who took over the mantle of head coach after the Bears fired Matt Eberflus midseason, will have a formal interview for the non-interim position at some point, but he’s not sure when.
Thomas Brown will have a formal interview for the Bears head coaching job but said he does not know when that will take place this week. His strongest selling point to have the interim tag removed? More than anything he believes he can say in an interview, it’s GM Ryan Poles…
Ravens’ Zay Flowers considered ‘day-to-day’ with knee injury
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday that wide receiver Zay Flowers did not suffer a season-ending knee injury vs. the Browns and is considered “day-to-day.”
Flowers exited Saturday’s game with an apparent leg injury after going down hard on a catch-and-run. The 24-year-old Flowers immediately grabbed at his right knee and was in visible pain.
He was escorted to the medical tent with a pronounced limp, then went to the locker room.
The Ravens initially announced Flowers as questionable to return with a knee injury, but later downgraded his status to out.
The Ravens will host the Steelers on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Pro Bowl WR Zay Flowers’ right knee injury is not a season-ending one.
Flowers is considered “day to day” heading onto the wild-card game against the Steelers, according to Harbaugh.
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