NFL coaches 2025: Who wins, who struggles and who could be fired

The NFL enters Week 7 of the season and the contenders are separating themselves from the pretenders. It’s hard to win in the NFL, and it’s hard for head coaches to stay on the job if they’re not winning consistently.

One coach has already been fired this season, with Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan being removed from his position on Monday, and more layoffs could be looming in the season.

Here’s a look at which coaches are winning, struggling and who could be fired.

Who wins

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin

The Steelers are 4-1, lead the AFC North and are currently the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Tomlin is getting the most out of 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the defense is playing an aggressive, league-leading brand of football No. 2 in team pockets with 20. Tomlin has made the playoffs 12 times in 18 seasons with the Steelers and seems destined to make 13 by 2025.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen

The Colts may be the biggest surprise of the ’25 season. Indianapolis is 5-1 and currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Steichen is the offensive player and has helped quarterback Daniel Jones revive his career after the New York Giants traded him away. Jones is number 1 in Total QBR at 79.7. As good as Jones has been, running back Jonathan Taylor has been just as great. leading the competition in rushing yards with 603 and rushing touchdowns with seven.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel

There was optimism that Vrabel could change the culture in New England after the franchise went 4-13 under former head coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots have already matched last year’s win total and have a 4-2 record. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, now in his second season, proves why he was selected No. 3 overall. Maye ranks No. 2 in completion percentage with 72.3 and No. 5 in passing yards with 1,522.

It’s been a great start for Vrabel in New England, with no win more impressive than a 23-20 road victory against the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles

The Buccaneers are 5-1, currently hold the top seed in the NFC and quarterback Baker Mayfield is in the MVP conversation with 12 passing touchdowns and just one interception. However, Tampa’s record may be better than it seems, with four of their wins coming by a field goal or less. Nevertheless, Bowles deserves credit for being at the helm and being on the right side of these close games.

Who is having a hard time?

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor

The Bengals are 2-4 and have lost four in a row after Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2. Burrow is out until at least early December and the Bengals are now down to their third starting quarterback of the season. Jake Browning struggled, which led to the Bengals trading with the Cleveland Browns to acquire Joe Flacco.

Flacco performed well in a 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers and could give the team a better chance to win in the future. However, it’s more likely that this will be the third straight season that the Bengals don’t make the playoffs.

At some point, regardless of Burrow’s health status and how it affects the Bengals winning or losing, Taylor has to get his team on a winning path or he’s out the door.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll

Carroll is considered one of the all-time greats in college and the NFL, but things aren’t going well for him in his first season as the Raiders head coach. The Raiders are 2-4 and last in the AFC West. Carroll teamed up again with quarterback Geno Smith, who was the Seattle Seahawks starter during Carroll’s final years there. However, Smith has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league this season. Smith leads the NFL with 10 interceptions and ranks No. 28 in QBR at 37.8.

Carroll may not be on the hot seat yet, but frustrations will only increase for a passionate fan base that hasn’t seen the Raiders make the playoffs since the 2021 season.

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn

Glenn inherited a mess in his first season as Jets head coach in the wake of the midseason firing of Robert Saleh in ’24 and the departure of quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets are the worst team in the NFL at 0-6 and the only winless team. Glenn and the Jets will have to get wins at some point or he will find himself on the hot seat sooner or later.

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore

The Saints are 1-5 and have a quarterback in Spencer Rattler, who has a 1-11 record as a starter in the NFL. Moore won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in ’24, but the talent he has to work with on the Saints pales in comparison to the Eagles and it shows on a weekly basis.

Who can be fired

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel

McDaniel has been as scrutinized as any coach this season. The Dolphins are 1-5 this season after finishing 8-9 in 2024. Patience is starting to wear thin in the locker room, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa calling out players for being late to players-only meetings.

The Dolphins are currently a dysfunctional franchise and it could be an uphill battle for McDaniel to get the team back on track and finish the season admirably to avoid being fired.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon

Gannon has been in the press for all the wrong reasons this season. The Cardinals are 2-4 and have lost four in a row. To make matters worse, Gannon cursed at Emari Demercado on the sideline after Demercado made an unforced fumble that negated a possible 72-yard touchdown. Gannon shouted at Demercado and swiped his arm, per NFL.com. The Cardinals fined Gannon $100,000 for these actions.

Gannon, now in his third season with the Cardinals, is 14-26 as a head coach and has yet to make the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski

Despite that, the Browns are 1-5 ranking no. 3 in total defense, averaging 262.3 yards allowed per game. The problem was the Browns offense, and to make matters worse for Stefanski, he is the play-caller. The Browns rank number 32 in total points per game, averaging just 13.7 points per game. Despite inefficiency in attack, Stefanski says he will continue to call plays.

The Browns were 3-14 in 2024 and if the record is similar in ’25, which appears to be the case, the Browns will likely be looking for a new coach in the near future.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh

Harbaugh has been the Ravens head coach since 2008 and has led the franchise to 12 playoff appearances and one Super Bowl victory, but this could be Harbaugh’s worst season yet. The Ravens have been without star quarterback Lamar Jackson for the past two weeks and don’t expect him back until Week 8 against the Chicago Bears.

Even if Jackson returns and the Ravens return to their usual winning ways, only four teams have made the playoffs after starting 1-5. Whether it’s Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots, Bill Walsh with the San Francisco 49ers, or Tom Landry with the Dallas Cowboys, great coaches rarely have a great end to their tenure and Harbaugh could suffer the same fate as other legendary NFL coaches.

Brian Daboll, head coach of the New York Giants

The Giants started the season 0-3 with Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback. However, New York has played more competitive football since rookie Jaxson Dart was brought in as the starter, with the Giants winning two of their last three games, including a dominant 34-17 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6.

There’s a chance the Giants do enough for the remainder of the ’25 season to show Daboll ownership. The team is moving in the right direction, but as things stand, he’s still in the top spot.