The 2023 NFL regular season is now complete. As 14 teams advance to the postseason, the rest are beginning preparations for 2024, which means the coaching carousel is spinning.
Head coaches, coordinators and league executives are already on the move as franchises search for better results in 2024. The right hire can bring instant success as six first-year head coaches have led their teams to the playoffs since 2021.
Here’s a breakdown of the latest coaching and executive changes across the league, corresponding interviews requested and scheduled, and rumored candidates for the 2024 hiring cycle.
PERSONNEL CHANGES (general managers, head coaches, coordinators)
- HC Arthur Smith was fired on Jan. 7 after going 21-30 in three seasons in Atlanta.
- HC Frank Reich was fired on Nov. 27 after the Panthers’ 1-10 start to the season. Reich was in his first season in Carolina.
- GM Scott Fitterer was fired on Jan. 8 after the Panthers failed to make the postseason in his three seasons at the helm. Fitterer notably made the trade with the Chicago Bears in the 2023 offseason to land the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, giving up the pick that eventually turned into the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 as part of the deal.
- OC Luke Getsy was fired on Jan. 10, along with QBs coach Andrew Janocko and WRs coach Tyke Tolbert. Getsy, Janocko and Tolbert joined Matt Eberflus’ staff when he became the head coach in 2022. The Bears ranked 28th in total offense that year and improved to 20th in 2023, but that uptick wasn’t enough for Getsy and Janocko to keep their jobs. Chicago’s offense could look very different in 2024: The team holds the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and could select a QB to replace Justin Fields.
- DC Mike Caldwell was fired Jan. 8 along with most of his staff on that side of the ball, FOX Sports’ Greg Auman first reported. The Jaguars finished 22nd in the NFL in total defense and 26th in scoring defense this season. Jacksonville allowed over 343 yards per game and over 24 points per game during its 1-5 finish to the season that knocked the team out of the playoffs. Additionally, running backs coach Bernie Parmelee and assistant offensive line coach Todd Washington were let go by Doug Pederson, who said he felt “change was necessary to allow our football team to reach the goals for which we are capable.”
- HC Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler were fired on Oct. 31 after the Raiders got off to a 3-5 start. Both were in their second year in Las Vegas. Antonio Pierce went 5-4 during his time as interim head coach and is a candidate for the permanent head coach job. Champ Kelly served as the team’s interim general manager.
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- HC Brandon Staley was fired on Dec. 15, a day after the Chargers lost to the Raiders 63-21 in a primetime game. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 5-9 on the season after it made the playoffs a year prior. The Chargers went 24-24 in Staley’s three seasons at the helm.
- GM Tom Telesco was also fired on Dec. 15, ending his 11-year tenure with the team.
- DC Wink Martindale reportedly resigned from his post with the Giants on Jan. 8. Martindale’s decision is a twist from what head coach Brian Daboll told reporters earlier that day, saying he expected the longtime coach to return for a third season in New York. Martindale and Daboll were reportedly at odds earlier in the 2023 season as New York’s defense struggled. FOX’s Ralph Vacchiano reported Martindale has yet to officially resign as he and the club negotiate terms since he’s still under contract. “He’s not staying,” a source told Vacchiano. “It’s over.” Martindale’s impending departure is part of the exodus of Giants assistants. Daboll said that special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson will be replaced. Outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins were reportedly also fired.
- The Titans reportedly fired Vrabel on Tuesday. The former Patriots linebacker and Texans defensive coordinator is instantly expected to be one of the top head-coach candidates on the market and would become the speculative front-runner for the Patriots head-coaching job if his former coach Bill Belichick does indeed leave New England. Vrabel has gone 54-45 in six seasons with the Titans, making the playoffs three times, but he has missed the postseason in each of the past two years, including a 6-11 finish in 2023.
- HC Ron Rivera was fired on Jan. 8 after the Commanders went 4-13 this season. Rivera went 26-40-1 over his four seasons in Washington.
- The Commanders will also search for a new head of football operations as new owner Josh Harris looks to remake the franchise. On Jan. 8, Harris hired former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers as an advisor to assist in the search for a new head of football operations and head coach. Harris also hired former Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman as part of an “advisory committee” that will include minority owners Magic Johnson, Mitch Rales and David Blitzer.
LOOMING DECISIONS
Las Vegas Raiders
- DC Patrick Graham has reportedly received interest from other teams to be their defensive coordinator, but the Raiders have denied him permission to interview. Las Vegas will “likely” wait to make its head coach hire before deciding what to do with its assistant coach, NFL Media reported.
- HC/GM Bill Belichick has been heavily rumored to be on the hot seat after the Patriots had their worst season in his 24 years with the team, going 4-13 in 2023. Belichick said Monday he’d meet with team owner Robert Kraft sometime this week to discuss the future of the franchise.
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- HC Dennis Allen could be in jeopardy as the Saints missed the postseason for the second time in his two seasons as head coach. Recent reports, however, have indicated that Allen is likely to stay. Allen told reporters on Jan. 8 that he also expects to return.
Washington Commanders
- General manager Martin Mayhew and executive vice president of football/player personnel Marty Hurney will reportedly remain with the team through the process of finding the next head coach and head of football operations. Once the team makes those hirings, their futures in Washington will be determined.
INTERVIEWS, CANDIDATES
Carolina Panthers (HC)
Carona Panthers (GM)
- Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby
- Chiefs VP of football operations Brandt Tilis
- Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown
- Buccaneers assistant GM Mike Greenberg
- Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay
- Saints assistant GM Khai Harley
- Ravens VP of football administration Nick Matteo
- Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds
- Raiders interim GM Champ Kelly
Jacksonville Jaguars (DC)
- Panthers DC Ejiro Evero (permission denied)
Las Vegas Raiders (GM)
Los Angeles Chargers (HC)
Los Angeles Chargers (GM)
- Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gay
- Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown
- 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters
- Saints assistant GM/VP Jeff Ireland
Washington Commanders (HC)
Washington Commanders (GM)
STAYING PUT
- Sean McVay indicated on Jan. 2 that he would return to the sideline in 2024, regardless of how the team’s postseason goes. The head coach publicly mulled retirement in each of the past two offseasons before opting to return to the Rams.
Chicago Bears
- Matt Eberflus will remain in Chicago after reportedly holding “extensive meetings” with the Bears’ top officials over the first two days of the offseason. The head coach was rumored to be on the hot seat for much of the 2023 season as the Bears got off to an 0-4 start after finishing with the league’s worst record in his first year on the job in 2022. But the Bears improved as the season went along, winning four of their final six games to finish 7-10. There will be changes made on Eberflus’ staff though as offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has been let go.
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