- Aaron Glenn has to lead the Jets to some competence: Glenn’s first season in New York was an unmitigated disaster, with New York going 3-14 and sitting 31st in overall PFF grade.
- The Buccaneers won’t give Todd Bowles much longer: Bowles saw his team miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and questions abound about the team’s offense and defense.
- Could the Eagles really fire Nick Sirianni?: Sirianni has a wildly impressive resume on paper, but Philadelphia may not hesitate to move on if he can’t win a playoff matchup in 2026.
Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
With the weather warming, sunsets growing later and money flowing around the NFL, the energy is high around the football landscape. This time of the year serves as a well-earned reprieve, even though the action never stops — just ask Myles Garrett.
Sooner than later, though, training camps will kickstart. As coaches begin outlining their visions for the 2026 season, some face more pressure than others. Indeed, these six leaders don’t have much room for error as they confront a pivotal campaign.
Aaron Glenn, New York Jets
Glenn wasn’t necessarily expected to complete an about-face in his first year with the Jets, a team that was clearly one of the most flawed in the league in 2025. But the results were far worse than imagined to start his era.
Under Glenn, New York finished 31st in overall PFF grade while going 3-14 with a -203 point differential, the 14th-worst in a single season. The Jets were no better than 29th in both offensive and defensive EPA per play, and only one Jets player — Breece Hall — earned at least a 75.0 overall grade while playing over 200 snaps.
The Jets swapped out almost everything about their coaching staff except for canning Glenn, including hiring Frank Reich and Brian Durker as coordinators. New York did improve its roster this offseason with David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. as its three first-round picks, plus adding Minkah Fitzpatrick, Demario Davis and others via free agency and trade. But if New York doesn’t get off the ground well, Glenn’s leash figures to be short considering that he looked rather in over his head.
Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bowles has secured a solid track record in Tampa Bay, compiling a 35-33 record with three NFC South titles in four years. But the 2025 season was a very disappointing one, as the Buccaneers won just two of their final seven games and missed the postseason.
Concerningly, issues pervaded both sides of the ball. Baker Mayfield regressed to a 64.8 PFF passing grade while struggling with accuracy amid injuries, and Tampa Bay also placed 23rd in rushing EPA per play. On defense, the Buccaneers ranked 22nd in PFF coverage grade and tied for 20th in explosive pass rate surrendered.
With the legendary Mike Evans and Lavonte David both gone, Bowles will work with a revamped core that includes Emeka Egbuka, Rueben Bain Jr. and Alex Anzalone. If the Buccaneers don’t at least finish with a winning record, then Bowles’ tenure probably won’t extend into 2027. That may be the case no matter what if Tampa Bay doesn’t climb back atop the division standings.
Baker Mayfield’s 2025 ranks
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
Taylor’s career in Cincinnati has continued to vacillate, going from a horrid start to a Super Bowl appearance to back on the downward swing. Recent history hasn’t been on the head coach’s side, as the Bengals have missed the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns despite fielding tremendous offensive star power. In particular, the 2025 season was very poor with a 6-11 mark and the 20th overall ranking in team PFF grade.
Cincinnati’s defense has remained among the league’s worst since 2024 — placing 28th in EPA per play, 29th in success rate and 29th in touchdown drive rate given up in that span. The Bengals made legitimate upgrades to the unit in Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook for incumbent defensive coordinator Al Golden, but the bottom line is that the unit simply needs to play far better.
It was a bit of a surprise that Taylor was retained to begin with going into 2026, but he can’t afford another slip-up season. As pressure continues to mount surrounding Joe Burrow’s future in Cincinnati, the Bengals’ front office shouldn’t be passive in keeping its star quarterback happy — and the broader team oriented well.
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
Like other names on this list, it was fairly shocking that Indianapolis retained both Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard this offseason. Over his three years calling the shots with the Colts, Steichen has mustered only a 25-26 record with zero playoff appearances.
The rationale for bringing Steichen back is likely the Colts’ hot start in 2025, when the team began 8-2 and led the league in offensive EPA per play through the first 13 weeks. But suffering seven straight losses, including after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles, raised lots of concern about Steichen’s leadership.
The Colts re-signed both Jones and receiver Alec Pierce to monster contracts in March and have other talent like Jonathan Taylor, Sauce Gardner, Quenton Nelson and Laiatu Latu on the roster, but real questions permeate a defense that finished 21st in success rate. It’s tough to envision Steichen making it to a fifth year in blue if Indianapolis either starts flat or doesn’t reach the postseason.
Worth Monitoring in January
Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
It may seem unfathomable that LaFleur — who recently ranked as one of the best head coaches in the NFL — would be on this list. But speculation continued to stir about his job security in Green Bay after the team’s wild-card loss against the rival Bears.
LaFleur has won a staggering 65.4% of his games over seven years with the Packers, including garnering at least 11 victories in four separate seasons. His ability to spearhead the third-most efficient offense by EPA per play in 2025 — despite Jordan Love missing multiple games — is telling about his skills as a play-caller.
The issue for LaFleur has been closing both games and seasons strongly. After Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Week 15, Green Bay lost five straight matchups, including blowing multiple double-digit leads against Chicago in the fourth quarter. Similarly, not winning a playoff game since 2023 looms large.
The Packers look like NFC contenders yet again as they bring back a strong group with All-Pro-caliber players across the field. The issue may not be reaching the postseason, but what happens when that arrives. If LaFleur can’t end his playoff win drought, it wouldn’t be stunning to see the franchise make a move — and instantly render LaFleur one of the most sought-after candidates on the market.
Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
Even though Sirianni owns a staggering 59-26 record with two Super Bowl berths and a title in his first five years with the Eagles, the energy around him has always felt erratic. That crescendoed during the 2025 campaign, where Philadelphia fell in the wild-card round during a season in which its offense tumbled to 21st in success rate and experienced disconnect among its superstars.
The Eagles have remained among the sport’s most talented rosters during Sirianni’s tenure, but those units have struggled to reach their potentials without elite coordinators — especially offensive ones. In light of last year’s woes, Sirianni swapped out Kevin Patullo for first-time coordinator Sean Mannion in hopes of reinvigorating a unit that traded away A.J. Brown.
With a boatload of both expensive and young talent dotting every level of the team, the Eagles figure to be competitive once again in 2026. But if Philadelphia has an encore performance of a year in which it placed only eighth in overall PFF grade, that very well might not cut it for the uber aggressive Howie Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie. After all, Sirianni was reportedly almost fired after both 2023 and in 2024, and his status doesn’t appear overly protected.