It was less than two years ago that Dan Quinn, who was in his first year as head coach with the Washington Commanders, took the team to the NFC title game with a rookie quarterback. Everything seemed pointed in the right direction, but it has gone horribly wrong since then. Washington followed that up with a 5-12 record in 2025 and is 1-3-1 to start this season as they head into a Monday night contest against the undefeated San Francisco 49ers. So how much time does Quinn have left?

Multiple sources on Monday afternoon told me that if the Commanders don’t put out a great effort tonight against the 49ers and play a competitive game, Quinn will find himself on the unemployment line sooner rather than later. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that, if the Commanders get clobbered by the Niners this evening, Quinn could be fired in a matter of days. Sources initially believed the franchise would hold onto Quinn until the end of the season, but that opinion changed after the debacle against the Giants two Sundays ago on October 11.

With 12 seconds left in overtime and the score tied 27-27, Jayden Daniels was tackled for no gain on second down. With no timeouts left, the clock ran out, denying the Commanders an opportunity to kick the game-winning field goal. While many pointed fingers at Daniels for the mishap, Quinn took responsibility and admitted the team could’ve attempted the field goal before the botched play and didn’t need the extra yardage the quarterback was trying to gain. The field goal would have been about 41 yards long, makeable for Commanders kicker Drew Stevens, who had been 2-for-2 on kicks between 40 and 49 yards and 2-for-4 on attempts 50 yards or longer. The embarrassment has left a bad taste in the mouth of the franchise’s upper echelon, as has Quinn’s failure to meet expectations. The direction of the team in the near future is also a concern for many at the top of the front office.

These same sources tell me that if Quinn is fired in the coming days or at some point this season, they expect special teams coordinator Larry Izzo or running backs coach Anthony Lynn to be elevated as interim head coach.