Week 18 is here, which means a few NFL coaches will lose their jobs at this point next week. While nobody wants to celebrate someone losing employment, the fact of the matter is the NFL is a results-based league. If you don’t win games or give your organization a reason to believe you’re on the right track, you’ll be out of a job.
3 NFL Coaches That Could Be Fired After Week 18
Two teams have already fired their coaches, but it’s safe to assume more heads will roll once the season is officially over. While there’s usually a surprise firing or two, the following three coaches are likely preparing for their last game with their respective organization.
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3. Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders
Going one-and-done would be an unfortunate way for Pete Carroll to end his coaching career, but you don’t hire a 74-year-old coach for a long-term rebuild. After parting ways with Antonio Pierce, the Raiders hired Carroll and traded for quarterback Geno Smith because they believed they had the roster to immediately compete for the playoffs.
This proved to be false, as the Raiders are currently the odds-on favorites to earn the first-overall pick. Even if they land a franchise quarterback, this team is a long way from competing, and the organization would probably prefer to see a younger coach leading the way for years to come.
2. Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons went all-in on the 2025 season when they traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for pass rusher James Pearce. The team entered the season with a strong defense and a promising second-year quarterback surrounded by talented playmakers. Despite all this, the team was out of playoff contention by November.
Morris looked like a dead man walking for most of the offseason, but the team’s recent hot streak could save his job. Atlanta is now 7-9 and sits just one game behind the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South. While they cannot win the division thanks to tiebreakers, this late-season surge could be enough for ownership to believe Morris is capable of building a winning culture.
1. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
This one is inevitable. Jonathan Gannon inherited a mess when he joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, and nobody should blame him for not being able to win games with that roster. However, it’s been three years now, and the team is no closer to making the playoffs now than they were when he first took over.
Arizona is 3-13 and will almost certainly move on from quarterback Kyler Murray in the offseason. This team is staring down another long, painful rebuild, and Gannon hasn’t done anything to show he can build a winning organization. He’s 15-35 during his Cardinals tenure, and that’s not good enough to save his job.
