I’ll list the grades for the hiring and firing of each NFL coach and general manager, as well as most coordinators.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
Jan. 12 Updates
Patriots hire HC Mike Vrabel: B+ Grade
It may seem odd for the Patriots to replace a Bill Belichick assistant with another Belichick assistant, but this is a clear upgrade. Jerod Mayo had a terrible showing last year, while Mike Vrabel consistently got the most out of the Titans when he was head coach in Tennessee. Vrabel even took a Ryan Tannehill-quarterbacked team to a No. 1 seed.
I like this hire, but I don’t love it. The problem is that the Patriots have a young quarterback who needs to be developed. If Vrabel hires a great offensive coordinator who gets the most out of Drake Maye, he’ll lose him to another head-coaching vacancy. I think hiring offensive coaches is the correct decision when a team has a very young quarterback because constant changes at coordinator can stunt the quarterback’s growth.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Jan. 9 Updates
Raiders fire GM Tom Telesco: D Grade
I’m not sure I understand the thinking behind this firing. Tom Telesco had one year as the Raiders’ general manager. In that one year, he spent his first-round pick on Brock Bowers and then was able to land a solid third-rounder in right tackle D.J. Glaze. He also obtained Christian Wilkins, which was a promising acquisition until Wilkins suffered a season-ending injury.
The one fair criticism of Telesco is that he botched the quarterback situation with Gardner Minshew. However, the Raiders wanted Michael Penix Jr. and were robbed when the Falcons snatched him off the board at No. 8. I wouldn’t fault Telesco for this because almost no one predicted that Penix would be drafted that early.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Jan. 7 Updates
Raiders fire HC Antonio Pierce: A+ Grade
Antonio Pierce had a great run at the end of the 2023 season to keep his job. The players rallied around him, and everyone was happy.
This move was evidence that listening to players about such matters can often backfire. Pierce proved to be completely overwhelmed as the Raiders’ full-time head coach. He constantly made bizarre in-game decisions, such as kicking irrelevant field goals with barely any time remaining on the clock. Pierce’s approach to his quarterbacks didn’t make any sense either. Firing him was for the best.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Titans fire GM Ran Carthon: A+ Grade
There was a power struggle between Mike Vrabel and Ran Carthon, and the Titans chose incorrectly. Ownership kept Carthon, who spent like a drunken sailor last offseason. Despite all the money Carthon gave to free agents, the Titans had just three wins to show for it. Carthon also blew a high pick on Will Levis and replaced Vrabel with the woefully inept Brian Callahan. It was clear that Carthon ran out of chances and needed to be dismissed.
It’s a shame that the Titans can’t reverse history. They were a solid team under Vrabel. Had they kept Vrabel and found a smarter general manager, they’d be in a much better situation right now.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Jan. 6 Updates
Colts fire DC Gus Bradley: A+ Grade
If you’re looking for the architect of the defense that allowed Drew Lock to score 45 points and play like the sixth-best quarterback since 1999, here he is. Gus Bradley’s defense was miserable all season, ranking dead last in missed tackles, but what transpired against the Giants will go down as one of the most humiliating performances in NFL history.
There’s no question that Bradley should have been fired. His defenses have been infamously porous over the years, so much so that they have been the laughing stock in the NFL. Certain quarterbacks almost have a bye whenever they battle him, so there was no reason he should have remained in control of any defense in the NFL.
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Seahawks fire OC Ryan Grubb: A- Grade
I don’t like when teams constantly shuffle offensive coordinators because it disrupts a quarterback’s flow and development, but the Seahawks are built to win now, and they didn’t seem as though they could win with Ryan Grubb. Thus, it was the correct decision to fire him.
The Seahawks had a great running game in 2023, but Grubb failed to duplicate that last year. The team had major issues at guard and center, especially when Connor Williams shockingly retired, but Grubb failed to scheme around this and incorporate any sort of play-action game as a consequence. The Seahawks really must rebuild their interior offensive line, but they also have to find a better play-caller.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Bengals fire DC Lou Anarumo: F Grade
When an organization believes that there should be a fall guy, generally it’s because someone on a higher level f**ked up and doesn’t want the attention on them. That is obviously the case concerning this firing.
It’s idiotic to fire Lou Anarumo. The 58-year-old was a terrific defensive coordinator, but saw his defense collapse this year. This was because the front office failed to re-sign talented defenders like Jessie Bates, D.J. Reader, and Chidobe Awuzie recently. Not only that; the front office failed to draft viable replacements. Somehow, this all fell on Anarumo, who didn’t have the pieces to assemble another strong defense.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Jaguars fire HC Doug Pederson: A+ Grade
This can’t have been a surprise to anyone. Doug Pederson proved to be a major upgrade over Urban Meyer, but the same could have been said of a trained walrus. Pederson looked like the solution at first, but it quickly became apparent that this was not the case.
Pederson’s major problem in Philadelphia was that he oversaw the complete regression of Carson Wentz. The same thing appeared to be happening in Jacksonville, as Trevor Lawrence had gotten worse in each of Pederson’s three seasons. The Jaguars risked losing Lawrence forever had they not fired Pederson.
Luckily for the Jaguars, there are a number of sharp, offensive-minded coaches available to help salvage Lawrence’s career. Ben Johnson and Liam Coen are just two examples of this. The Jaguars need to make sure that they avoid another retread this time.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Jan. 5 Updates
Patriots fire HC Jerod Mayo: A Grade
Jeord Mayo was the hand-picked successor for Bill Belichick, but his coaching tenure did not begin well. He began by citing DEI nonsense during his introductory press conference. He then was the laughing stock of the preseason when his team couldn’t get through a half without double-digit penalties. He beat the Bengals in Week 1, but that was a rare bright moment. In that game and other early ones, Mayo kept Drake Maye on the bench, not because he wasn’t ready, but because he stated that Jacoby Brissett was the better quarterback.
Mayo closed out his first and only season by blowing the No. 1 overall pick by winning a meaningless game. If that wasn’t already the final straw, then that certainly was it, as Mayo was justly dismissed after one year.
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Nov. 29 Updates
Bears fire HC Matt Eberflus: A+ Grade
The Bears had never fired a head coach in the middle of the season during the 104-year history of their franchise. That changed today with the front office dismissing Eberflus following his Thanksgiving debacle.
Eberflus’ in-game management has been horrible, but what transpired at the end of the initial Thanksgiving game was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Chicago allowed the entire game clock to expire despite having one more down and one timeout, and Eberflus just stood there, frozen, resembling some kid trying to figure out how to talk to a girl standing on the other side of the room of the seventh-grade dance. It was embarrassing, and I really had no idea how he was going to address the locker room after that horrendous display. I guess he’ll be spared from doing so.
The Bears had to move on from Eberflus, so it makes sense to do it now during the mini-bye week.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Nov. 19 Updates
Jets fire GM Joe Douglas: A Grade
The Joe Douglas era wasn’t all bad. Douglas nailed some draft picks outside of the first round, including Breece Hall in the second round, Braelon Allen in the fourth, and Michael Carter II in the fifth. Douglas assembled quality talent on the roster, but didn’t put a very good team together. The Jets were a pitiful 30-64 under his watch.
Douglas, of course, made some horrible blunders as well. He overpaid for Corey Davis and Allen Lazard. He botched the Zach Wilson and Mekhi Becton picks. He selected Olu Fashanu over Brock Bowers even though Bowers would have helped right away. And then there was the entire Aaron Rodgers plan, which blew up in his face.
It makes sense for the Jets to fire Douglas. He wasn’t the worst NFL general manager we’ve seen, but the team can do much better.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Nov. 12 Updates
Bears fire OC Shane Waldron: A+ Grade
It would have been shocking had this move not occurred this week. Shane Waldrn nearly got his rookie quarterback killed last week, with Caleb Williams taking nine sacks in a humiliating loss to the Patriots.
Waldron has no business being an offensive coordinator in the NFL. He completely misused all the talent the front office acquired for him this offseason. He was out-coached in nearly every game, and he failed to make any sort of adjustments to the opposition or for injuries to his players. The Bears, and Williams in particular, will be in better hands with Thomas Brown.
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Nov. 4 Updates
Saints fire HC Dennis Allen: A+ Grade
I hated this hiring from the start. When the Saints hired Dennis Allen, I gave them an “F” grade, stating, “We’ve seen Allen in action already, and he was a failure with the Raiders. His record in Oakland from 2012 to 2014 was 8-28. … Allen did a great job as New Orleans’ defensive coordinator, but he has proven that he’s not up to the task as a head coach.”
I don’t understand why the move was made in the first place, and I don’t get what took so long to fire Allen. He’s an abysmal coach whose teams have always underperformed. He makes poor in-game decisions and adjustments. The camel that broke the straw’s back, to quote a former NFL running back, was the loss to the Panthers in which Carolina won despite being outgained by nearly 200 yards. This has been commonplace for the Saints under Allen, as it was the 11th time the Saints have lost despite outgaining their opponent under their former head coach.
The Saints may lose more often than they would normally moving forward this season under an unprepared interim coach, but that’s OK because New Orleans’ goal should be obtaining the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Check out my 2025 NFL Mock Draft to see which propsects are available.
By the way, I was reminded by Cassandra that I must give a euology to Allen’s ATS record. We won’t get to bet against Allen again, with Allen finishing his head-coaching career with a 32-50 against the spread record. Now, if I may, a moment of silence for this loss.
…
Thank you.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Raiders fire OC Luke Getsy, OL Coach James Cregg, QB Coach Rich Scangarello: A+ Grade
Fire them all. This Raiders coaching staff has been a disaster. Every offensive coach should be dismissed. Antonio Pierce should be fired as well, but only after the regular season is over, just so the Raiders aren’t fooled into falling in love with another interim head coach.
Getting rid of all the assistant coaches can’t be good for the Raiders’ chances of winning this year, but that’s a good thing. The Raiders wanted Michael Penix Jr. last April, but the Falcons snatched him away from them. By losing the rest of their games, the Raiders can ensure themselves of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, allowing them to properly rebuild with a franchise quarterback.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Oct. 8 Updates
Jets fire HC Robert Saleh: A- Grade
There’s been an extensive history of NFL head coaching being fired following disappointing results in London. Robert Saleh is the latest victim, as his loss to the Vikings ended his coaching tenure in New York.
This is a move that had to be made. Saleh failed to prepare his team well for too many games and often made bone-headed in-game coaching decisions. He kicked too many field goals from inside the 5-yard line, for example. It was clear that Saleh was going to find a way to sabotage the Jets at some point this year.
The only reason this grade is not an A+ is because Nathaniel Hackett wasn’t also axed. Hackett is one of the worst offensive coordinators in the NFL, and of all the coaches, he’s most responsible for the Jets’ disappointing 2-3 start. It seems obvious that Aaron Rodgers told management that he wanted Hackett to remain, but firing him would have been the best decision.
Comment on the other coach firings below.
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Click here for previous head coach hiring and firing grades.
NFL Power Rankings - Jan. 14
NFL Picks - Jan. 13
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Jan. 8
2026 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 29
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
