The first week of NFL concluded after the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks game and there are already coaches on the hot seat.
This may result from a bad season or a wrong fit for both sides involved. Whatever the case may be these coaches are trying to keep their job. These are three coaches that are on a short leash.
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Matt Rhule
The head coach for the Carolina Panthers, Rhule started his NFL head coaching career in 2020. It has been a rough go, and he owned the task of replacing Ron Rivera, who took the Panthers to a Super Bowl in 2020. Rivera was also a fan favorite for the Panthers fans, so he stepped into a tall task.
In 2019, Rhule led Baylor University to an 11-3 record and a Sugar Bowl. Despite the 26-14 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, Rhule impressed Carolina Panthers owner, David Tepper, enough. Rhule signed a seven-year contract for $62 million.
After two five-win seasons, Rhule owned an abysmal 10-24 record heading into the 2022 season. The season-opening loss to the Cleveland Browns sends his position into more jeopardy. The Panthers play the New York Giants next followed by the New Orleans Saints. These are seen as the easier games for Carolina, but if the Panthers stumble later in the season Rhule could be out.
Mike McCarhty
When he lost his job as the Green Bay Packers head coach amidst the 2018 season, McCarthy finished with a 125-76-2 record. It would be 2020 before McCarthy found another head coaching position as he took over the Dallas Cowboys.
A team that arguably transcends just football, and an owner as notorious as Jerry Jones, the pressure was on McCarthy from the start.
Since he stepped into the role he posted an 18-15 record heading into 2022. This mediocrity is a result of two extremes. In his first season the Cowboys limped to a 6-10 record, and the following 2021 season an incredible 12-5 record. It is worth noting that star QB Dak Presscott missed 11 games in 2020. After an exit in the Wild Card round in 2021, McCarthy came under fire, and this carried over at the start of the 2022 season.
The Cowboys lost 19-3 in the season opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What was worse is that Dak Prescott injured his thumb on his throwing hand in the game. When Prescott hit the hand of a defender in the fourth quarter, he broke the thumb and required surgery to repair the ligament in his thumb.
Prescott is expected to miss anywhere between six to eight weeks. This injury put McCarthy on the hot seat, and if he cannot coach the Cowboys to a decent record while Prescott is away he may be out of a job before seasons end.
Pete Carroll
Carroll owns the least risk from the three coaches, but he is still on the hot seat. His record of 120-73 in the regular season as Seahawks head coach is immaculate. He coached Seattle to a Super Bowl in the 2013-14 season. The following season the Seahawks lost in the Super Bowl 28-24. What made it worse is the call to pass yards away from the end zone instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch.
Since that moment, people point to that as reason for Carroll to be fired. What added fuel to the fire was the Russell Wilson drama and eventual trade.
While Carroll owns a good rapport with Seattle ownership, this may not save him in the 2022 season. Seattle uses Geno Smith as its’ starting QB. The backup is Drew Lock, and that is not much better for the Seahwaks. This situation may be Carroll’s undoing, and he may be nudged from the job if Seattle performs horribly.
But given his long history of success since taking over in 2010, he may be given a longer leash than the newer coaches on this list.