In the NFL, players get second chances all the time. Whether you’re a young, first-round rookie who didn’t pan out or an aging veteran looking for one last run, typically, if you’re talented enough, you’ll find a new home. The same can’t be said for head coaches. Yes, certain ones get a second shot, but typically, if you flame out, nobody will touch you with a 10-foot pole.

There have been nine former NFL head coaches fired this year (including an offensive coordinator who used to be a head coach). Today, I will determine whether they deserve another shot as a head coach or not.

John Harbaugh: Absolutely

John Harbaugh is the most sure-fire lock out of this group to land another head coaching job. In fact, he’ll probably be one of the first ones to land a job, because everyone is going to go after him. In his 18 years with the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh took them to the playoffs 11 times, including three of the last four years. He won a Super Bowl in 2012 and has been to four AFC Championships. I don’t think Baltimore was wrong letting him go – it felt like a change was needed for both sides – but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a great head coach. He’ll have his pick of the litter, and he’ll probably turn that team into a Super Bowl contender in the near future.

Kevin Stefanski: Absolutely

Kevin Stefanski is another guy who deserves another shot at being a head coach in the NFL. This is the man who took the Cleveland Browns, a team that hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2001 and hadn’t won a playoff game since 1994, to the postseason twice in six years, and even won a game. He’s a great offensive mind, but he also knows how to build a winning culture. It’s not his fault the Browns made one of the worst trades in NFL history and are paying EIGHT different quarterbacks this year. They had no talent offensively, and he was fired because he had to deal with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as his starters for most of the year.

Raheem Morris: No

Raheem Morris wasn’t a horrible coach. He won eight games in both of his seasons as the Atlanta Falcons’ leader, but he’s just not the type of guy who’s going to elevate a team. The Falcons didn’t have an elite roster by any means, but it certainly wasn’t bad. They should’ve won more than eight games in 2024 and 2025, especially in the NFC South, but they just didn’t. It feels like he’s always going to slightly underperform, and for that reason, I’d say he doesn’t deserve another shot. He should be high on people’s list for defensive coordinator openings, though.

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Pete Carroll: Heck No

Before I start this, Pete Carroll is a great head coach who has won pretty much everywhere he’s been. However, I don’t think he deserves another shot in the NFL. He is 74 years old. He’s got another, what, 2-3 years in him? He’s not prepared to lead a rebuild, as was shown in Las Vegas this year, and even if he takes over someone like the Ravens, they’ve got a couple of seasons before he’s out the door and they’re searching again. It made no sense when Vegas hired him last year, and it would make no sense if someone did it again in the future.

Brian Daboll: Maybe?

Brian Daboll’s a hard one. Everyone in the league acknowledges he’s one of the best offensive play callers in the league, but I just don’t get the sense that guys like him. He was always angry on the sideline, and if I were a player, I wouldn’t want a coach screaming at me just to scream at me. Maybe I’m wrong, and his players loved him, but I just didn’t get that vibe. He’s a lot like McDaniel. If you put him in the right spot with the right quarterback, sure, he could probably succeed. But I don’t think he’s capable of taking over a rebuild and turning a team into a Super Bowl contender like Harbaugh or Stefanski.

Jonathan Gannon: Absolutely Not

Sometimes you can just look at a guy and just know he’s not going to work out. Like Adam Gase, for example. The New York Jets should have fired him after his introductory press conference. The guy looked like a deer in headlights that was on some kind of drugs up there. Gannon doesn’t look quite as insane, but when you look at him, you can just tell he’s not built to be a head coach.

On a more serious note, he’s done nothing to deserve being a head coach. He had three years in Arizona to fix their defense, and it only got worse every year. He took a four-win team and turned them into a three-win team. That’s all you need to know about him.

Mike McDaniel: Yes

This may be a hot take, but I think Mike McDaniel deserves another shot at being a head coach. He might be the best offensive mind in football, and if you give him a quarterback that can actually throw the football without turning it over every other play, he can lead one of the best offenses in the league. I know his nerdy schtick gets old, but we saw how the Dolphins rallied around him this year and almost helped him keep his job. He would need to go into a very good situation with the right quarterback in place, but I think he could be successful as a head coach. I think he could be on par with Ben Johnson if he’s given the right situation.

Brian Callahan: No

Brian Callahan should not be a head coach in the NFL again. He was brought in because of the excellent work he did with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals offense, and just a few games into his second year in Tennessee, he gave up play-calling duties to an assistant. That’s how bad things went with the Titans. He was almost fired after one year, but they gave him a second chance with rookie quarterback Cam Ward, and it did not go well. The Titans were much more competitive without him, so no, he should not get a second shot. He will be an offensive coordinator again soon.

Kliff Kingsbury: No

Kliff Kingsbury is just such a college head coach. He’s young and offensive-minded, but he’s just not built to be an NFL head coach. He worked wonders with Jayden Daniels in 2024 as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, but after their offense struggled in 2025, he was let go. He’ll probably land an offensive coordinator job, and maybe even interview for a couple of head coaching positions, but I’d be shocked if an NFL team hired him to be their head coach.