We’re tracking all the NFL coaching news after Week 18 and the playoff outlook heading into wild-card weekend.
The 2024 NFL regular season is nearly 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 quick glance at the current vacancies:
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.
New York Jets: This is one of the messier positions in the league as the franchise is also looking for a general manager. The club fired head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 after starting 2-3 and GM Joe Douglas was dismissed six weeks later. While the team has begun interviews, it’s unclear whether QB Aaron Rodgers will be part of the new regime. Mike Vrabel reportedly interviewed for the job last week, along with Ron Rivera. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick interviewed for the GM 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.
The list of head coach openings is sure to grow in the coming hours, with the Jacksonville Jaguars (Doug Pederson), Las Vegas Raiders (Antonio Pierce), Dallas Cowboys (Mike McCarthy) and New York Giants (Brian Daboll) among the teams who could make a change at head coach.
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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NFL playoff schedule is here
The Lions rolled over the Vikings to claim the top seed in the NFC, and the Vikings will now head to Los Angeles for the first round of the playoffs.
For more on wild-card weekend, click here.
The Wild Card weekend TV schedule is 🔥 pic.twitter.com/X18BdARDp9
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 6, 2025
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Who should replace Jerod Mayo in New England?
Jerod Mayo was one and done as the Patriots head coach. Here are eight candidates, starting with Mike Vrabel, who could replace him.
Click the photo to read more about who should replace Jerod Mayo in New England. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) -
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Browns fire OC Ken Dorsey, OL coach Andy Dickerson
The Browns kept head coach Kevin Stefanski. They did not keep two of his offensive assistants.
Cleveland fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson Sunday after losing to the Ravens on Saturday to finish 3-14 overall.
Browns’ offense struggled mightily in 2024
Ken Dorsey is one-and-done as Browns offensive coordinator. (AP Foto/Sue Ogrocki, archivo) -
Coaching cycle begins churning as NFL regular seasons end
The early window of Week 18 action is over, and 20 teams’ seasons have ended.
In years past, the first Monday after the regular season was known as Black Monday because of the coach firings. In recent years, some teams haven’t even waited that long, turning Week 18’s evening into Black Sunday.
Coaching situations to watch include New England and Jerod Mayo; Jacksonville and Doug Pederson; Indianapolis and Shane Steichen; Dallas and Mike McCarthy; New York Giants and Brian Daboll; and Las Vegas and Antonio Pierce.
Yahoo Sports will keep you updated on all the latest coaching news.
Will Mike McCarthy not be retained as Cowboys head coach? (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
