Josh McDaniels

To be perfectly fair and honest, the NFL coaching carousel is brutal.  Sure, they get paid quite handsomely, but coaching is a grind and finding a job is even worse… Think about it—your entire life’s work evaluated and scrutinized for the world to see… Every year, there is a fresh crop of fired football coaches… and it is surprisingly rare how few land get one more shot—especially right away! Many have to take a step back and become coordinators—or in some cases, position coaches. Others take a year off and keep holding out hope that they will find another opportunity to be a head coach. But some coaches… they don’t get another chance. Ever. We’re not talking about guys who failed quietly. We’re talking about the spectacular disasters filled with scandal or incompetence that defied explanation. These are the coaches who torched their NFL careers so thoroughly that no team will ever give them another shot. Some are still coaching in college. Some landed in the media. And some just disappeared. Let’s dive in! Which former coaches will never have a chance in the NFL again? Urban MeyerJan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Urban Meyer on the sidelines prior to the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff between the Oregon Ducks and the Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Urban Meyer was one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Three national championships. A proven winner—at two different schools—finally making the jump to the NFL. The expectations were sky high for him as an NFL coach… and he lasted a mere 13 games. Yup… Urban Meyer went 2 and 11 with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. That’s more losses in one partial season than he had in seven years at Ohio State.  But somehow, the record wasn’t even the worst of it. First… the bar video. After a loss to the Bengals, Meyer stayed in Ohio instead of flying back with the team. He got caught on video at a bar with a young woman who wasn’t his wife. The video went viral, and he had to apologize to the team. Then… the Josh Lambo incident. The team’s kicker alleged that Meyer kicked him during warmups.  The laundry list of complaints about Meyer seemed to just go on and on… He allegedly called his assistants “losers” in staff meetings and hired a strength coach who had been accused of racist remarks.  And, lest we forget, he signed Tim Tebow—who hadn’t played in six years—to play tight end.  If that wasn’t a sign that Meyer was in over his head—I don’t know what is! One staffer allegedly called it the most toxic environment they had ever been a part of. Meyer was fired in December 2021, and he now works as a Fox Sports analyst on Big Noon Kickoff. He continues to act like he has no interest in coaching anymore… and maybe it is true. But one thing is for certain, while he may get college jobs floated by him still, he will never be handed the reins of an NFL franchise ever again!  Not after the spectacle he created in Jacksonville. Bobby PetrinoNov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino during the fourth quarter against the Missouri Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Missouri won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images Look… there’s quitting on a team. And then there’s quitting on a team the way Bobby Petrino did. In 2007, Petrino was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Things weren’t going great—3 and 10 records—but the season wasn’t over.  Then, Arkansas came calling with a job offer, and what Bobby Petrino did next became legend and all but ensured that he’d never get another coaching job in the NFL ever again. He left a laminated note in the locker room announcing his departure.  Like he was posting a menu at a restaurant. “I have resigned as head coach. I’m sorry, but this is the best thing for both of us.” Keep in mind, this is a guy who had personally promised owner Arthur Blank he was staying. Looked him in the eye. Gave him his word. Then left within 24 hours. There is a reason that folks like Lawyer Milloy—a veteran safety—wrote one word on his resignation note: “Coward.”  And that was light compared to what Mike Zimmer, one of his staffers at the time, had to say about him, as he publicly called him “a gutless bastard.”  But wait… there’s more. Once he got down to Arkansas, new trouble brewed. In 2012, Petrino was fired from Arkansas after a motorcycle accident revealed he was having an affair with an athletic department staffer that he’d been hiding for months. The now 64-year-old has bounced around college programs ever since—Texas A&M offensive coordinator, Arkansas offensive coordinator again, and now he’s at North Carolina. But make no mistake about it—no NFL team will ever hire him again. Josh McDanielsSep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Josh McDaniels is the only coach in NFL history since 1970 to be fired before the end of his second season… with two different teams. His first head coaching job was with the Denver Broncos in 2009. It did not go well. He alienated Jay Cutler so badly that the Broncos had to trade him. His team got caught videotaping a 49ers walkthrough practice—shades of Spygate only without the winning… By the time he was fired midway through the 2010 season with an 11 and 17 record. He went back to New England. Rebuilt his reputation as Bill Belichick’s offensive coordinator. In 2018, the Indianapolis Colts hired him as their next head coach. Then… he backed out. On the same day, he accepted the job. His own agent dropped him over it. Somehow, against all odds, he got another chance with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. And… well… it went even worse. Players went directly to owner Mark Davis with complaints. A team meeting got so heated that multiple reports said it “broke” McDaniels.  Remember—he lost to Jeff Saturday, a coach whose only previous experience was at a high school, and was hired the week of!  When all was said and done, he was fired after 25 games. 9 and 16 records. Josh McDaniels is back with the Patriots for his third stint as a coordinator, and he’s thriving… But you have to think that NFL GMs have learned their lesson now—even if McDaniels hasn’t… Some guys are just better off as coordinators—plain and simple.  Hue JacksonJuly 21, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Grambling State head coach Hue Jackson speaks on the main stage during the Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day at the Sheraton Birmingham. Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa News Swac Media Day When the highlight of your head coaching career is an 8 and 8 season with the Raiders—that’s when you know things didn’t go well. After all, there is a reason that no NFL team will touch Hue Jackson again as a head coach.  1 and 31—that’s Hue Jackson’s record over his first two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. One win. Thirty-one losses. The second 0 and 16 season in NFL history. Not to mention all of the hand-waving, excuses, and outright delirium that followed. When asked about his tenure, Hue Jackson said—and I am not making this up—”That was some of the best coaching I did.” Three wins. In nearly three seasons. Best coaching he ever did. After Cleveland finally fired him, he briefly joined the Bengals as a special assistant. That lasted a few months before he was let go. He’s been bouncing around FCS programs ever since—Grambling State, Tennessee State, Georgia State. It will be a cold day in hell before another NFL team trusts him to lead their troops into battle on Sundays! Nathaniel HackettEast Rutherford, NJ — December 3, 2023 — Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett before the game. The Atlanta Falcons and the NY Jets play at MetLife Stadium on December 3, 2023 in East Rutherford, NJ. Despite being a highly sought-after candidate—in part because of the Aaron Rodgers free-agency sweepstakes— Nathaniel Hackett failed miserably as a head coach. Hackett’s game management issues became so glaring that the Broncos actually hired Jerry Rosburg—a retired coach—to stand next to him on the sideline and help him make decisions.  They literally hired someone to assist their head coach with basic decision-making—that should tell you everything you need to know. Hackett was fired before the season even ended—the shortest tenure in Broncos history. He landed with the Jets as offensive coordinator in 2023, but that didn’t go much better, as the offense was near the bottom of the league in key categories and he was stripped of playcalling duties mid-season. Hackett found a role in Green Bay as a defensive analyst, but I think it is safe to say you won’t be seeing NFL teams lining up to bring Hackett in as a head coach ever again.   Chip KellyDec 13, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Chip Kelly, football coach, stands on the field before the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Army West Point Black Knights at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Chip Kelly was supposed to revolutionize the NFL as a coach. His up-tempo offense at Oregon was unstoppable. He was going to change everything. Instead, he got three chances and failed every single time. His first stop was the Philadelphia Eagles. He went 26 and 21 as head coach—not terrible on paper. But what he did to the roster was unforgivable, seemingly trading away any star player he could! His second stop was the San Francisco 49ers. In 2016, Chip Kelly went 2 and 14. One of the worst seasons in franchise history, to the point that the entire organization was all but burned to the ground afterward. You’d think that would be enough. But no. In 2024, the Las Vegas Raiders hired Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator. They gave him six million dollars, the highest salary for an OC in NFL history. The Raiders finished last in total offense. Last in scoring offense. Dead last in both categories. He was fired after 11 games. Kelly is now back in the college ranks, and you have to think that’s where the 61-year-old will spend the rest of his days. Adam GaseDec 29, 2019; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets head coach Adam Gase looks on against the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports Yes… The curious case of Adam Gase! The man who rode Peyton Manning’s coattails in Denver to build a reputation as an offensive guru, which he parlayed into the Dolphins job in 2016. Gase went 23 and 25 over three painfully mediocre seasons. Then came the Jets. Plus a bizarre press conference. And the whole thing fell apart. 9 and 23 records. 32nd in total yards. Two consecutive years. The worst offense in football, run by a “brilliant offensive mind” as he was introduced by Jets leadership. But here’s the truly damning part… Players who left Adam Gase always seemed to get better somewhere else. Ryan Tannehill went to Tennessee and led the NFL in passer rating. Jarvis Landry left and thrived in Cleveland. Kenyan Drake improved in Arizona. DeVante Parker finally broke out after Gase was gone. How do you explain that? If your system makes every player worse… maybe the system is the problem. Gase is now out of coaching entirely and has been since the Jets canned him in ‘21.  Matt PatriciaOhio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia arrives at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas prior to the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 28, 2025. Matt Patricia came to Detroit with a plan. He was going to install the “Patriot Way.”  There was just one small problem… Matt Patricia is not Bill Belichick.  He went 13, 29, and 1 with the Lions.  His specialty was supposed to be defense as an NFL coach, and yet the Lions ranked in the bottom 10 in every defensive category during his tenure.  But the real issue wasn’t the scheme. It was the culture. The “my way or the highway” approach that worked in New England completely alienated players in Detroit. He traded away or cut talented players who pushed back.  The Thanksgiving 2020 game was the final straw. A 41 to 25 blowout loss to the Texans. In prime time. On national television. Patricia was fired shortly after. And somehow… he went back to New England. He was the Patriots’ offensive play caller in 2022—yes, offense—and that didn’t go well either.  He bounced around in various roles before eventually landing as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator… which feels like his destiny at this point. Another guy with all the know-how that just doesn’t have the leadership chops to make it as a head coach in the NFL. Freddie KitchensNew York Giants offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens in the first half. The Giants defeat the Eagles, 13-7, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, in East Rutherford. Nyg Vs Phi Freddie Kitchens walked into one of the most talented Browns rosters in decades… and somehow lit the whole thing on fire.  Baker Mayfield, coming off a promising rookie season, they’d just brought in Odell Beckham Jr. fresh from a blockbuster trade, and Nick Chubb was in the process of really becoming a star.  The expectations weren’t quite “Super Bowl or bust,” but they were higher than they’d been in Cleveland in some time.  The result? 6 and 10. Week 1 set the tone for the entire disaster. Eighteen penalties—the most by any team since 1951.  It never really got better from there. The team ranked in the top 5 in penalties all season, and every week, there was some new discipline issue.  And then… There was the T-shirt. After the Myles Garrett helmet incident—where Garrett infamously hit Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet—Cleveland was set to play Pittsburgh in the rematch. Before the game, Freddie Kitchens was photographed at the movies wearing a shirt that said “Pittsburgh Started It.” The head coach. Wearing that shirt. Days before one of the most emotionally charged games of the season. Just unprofessional. Kitchens was fired just hours after the final game of the season. He couldn’t even survive one full year.  He’s since been back in college football—most recently working under Bill Belichick at North Carolina, but I’m hard-pressed to believe that he’ll get another shot in the NFL anytime soon. Jeff FisherFormer Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher arrives at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. Jeff Fisher went 7 and 9 so many times that it became a meme that people still reference to this day.  He became the living, breathing embodiment of NFL mediocrity—if you could even call it that. Not bad enough to get fired. Not good enough to actually matter.  And then came Hard Knocks in 2016. During the show, Fisher said his Rams team was “too talented” to go 7 and 9, 8 and 8, 9 and 7, or even 10 and 6.  The Rams started 4- 9, and Fisher was fired before he could even find out how wrong he was. The best part? He had signed a contract extension just eight days before getting canned.  Fisher hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2016. He’s now the Commissioner of Arena Football One and the majority owner of the Nashville Kats. Arena football. That’s where life as the 7-9 meme eventually leads you!