6) Hue Jackson, Browns
It is impossible to not be on the hot seat if you coach a team to an 0-16 record, as it looks like the Cleveland Browns are poised to do barring a surprise against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Still, there seems to be an admission in league circles that the Browns’ roster is not good enough, and there’s not all that much Jackson could have done in this situation. Ownership has made very clear that they intend to bring him back in 2018, but that won’t do anything to stop rumors that newly-hired general manager John Dorsey might want to bring in his own guy and start anew.
5) Bill O’Brien, Texans
Tensions between O’Brien, the front office, and ownership have been lingering for a while now, and it sounds like things are starting to come to a head in Houston. O’Brien is entering the last year of his contract and doesn’t seem to get along with general manager Rick Smith. A four-win season may be enough cover for the two sides to part ways, even if the bad season wasn’t entirely the coach’s fault. Things were going much better with a healthy Deshaun Watson, but that may not save O’Brien.
4) Jim Caldwell, Lions
Caldwell is in a unique spot. With a win over an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay team in Week 17, he’ll have his third winning season in four years with a franchise not known for long periods of success. There is, however, a perception that the Lions, with a fairly easy schedule and a lot of talent at skill positions, have underachieved in 2017. They were eliminated from playoff contention with an ugly loss to a Bengals team simply playing out the string. It doesn’t help that Caldwell is often viewed as aloof, and his team has made several preventable mistakes at key points late in the season. Perhaps the biggest strike against him is that general manager Bob Quinn didn’t hire him. Quinn has given Caldwell two years, and the Lions haven’t really progressed. The GM could use that as incentive to pull the trigger and bring in his own coach.
3) Dirk Koetter, Buccaneers
Tampa Bay has regressed in a big way in 2017, and Koetter seems increasingly likely to pay for it with his job. The Bucs have been one of the league’s biggest disappointments, and the lack of progression from quarterback Jameis Winston will particularly be highlighted. There have been reports that the relationship between coach and franchise quarterback is not good, and given how much the Bucs have invested in Winston, Koetter will be shown the door long before his QB will. It doesn’t help that a prominent former Bucs coach seems to have some interest in returning to the job.
2) John Fox, Bears
Fox never seemed like the long-term answer to oversee Chicago’s rebuild. The writing has been on the wall for a year, when it was reported that Fox wasn’t getting along with GM Ryan Pace to the point that he was more or less left in the dark regarding the team’s NFL Draft plans. His coaching staff believes he’s a goner, and there is no reason to doubt it after a third consecutive losing season at the helm of the franchise.
1) Chuck Pagano, Colts
It is a Jim Irsay-induced miracle that Pagano still has a job to lose. The Colts coach seems like he’s been perpetually on the verge of being fired for two years now. He survived constant tension with former GM Ryan Grigson as well as a major front office change that initially looked like it might drive him out. However, with Andrew Luck missing the entire season, the bottom fell out on the team, and Pagano is almost certain to pay with his job. It’s long overdue.
