The 2024 NFL regular season is almost over, and soon all eyes will be on the 14 teams heading to the playoffs, starting with this next weekend’s wild-card round. Before then, away teams will likely grab the headlines.
Last season, nearly a quarter of NFL franchises experienced head coaching turnover. What does 2025 hold for teams looking for a fresh start, beyond their favorable draft position? Here is a brief overview of current vacancies:
New England Patriots: The Patriots now need a new head coach after firing Jerod Mayo right after their Week 18 win over the Bills, meaning they lost the No. 1 overall pick. With Drake Maye in place, it’s an attractive opening, especially since the rest of the roster needs work. Team owner Robert Kraft will likely have more patience with the next signing than Mayo, a former Patriots player who lasted just one season replacing Bill Belichick.
New Orleans Saints: Dennis Allen was fired on November 4 after a seventh straight loss evaporated a strong 2-0 start. Allen went 18-25 in three seasons in New Orleans and failed to make the playoffs. Darren Rizzi finished the 2024 campaign 5-12. Whoever takes the reins will face a rebuild amid the Saints’ usual salary cap headaches and uncertainty at the QB position.
New York Jets: This is one of the most complicated positions in the league since the franchise is also looking for a general manager. The club fired head coach Robert Saleh on October 8 after starting 2-3 and general manager Joe Douglas was fired six weeks later. Although the team has begun interviews, it is unclear whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be part of the new regime. Mike Vrabel would have interviewed for the job last week, along with Ron Rivera. Louis Riddick, ESPN analyst interviewed for the position of general manager.
Chicago Bear: The Bears made history by firing their head coach mid-season for the first time, with Thomas Brown taking over as the team was in the midst of a 10-game losing streak that ended with a victory against the Packers in the season finale. Whoever replaces Matt Eberflus will be primarily responsible for getting No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams back on track after a rough rookie season.
The list of vacant head coaching positions is sure to grow in the coming hours, with the Jacksonville Jaguars (Doug Pederson), Las Vegas Raiders (Antonio Pierce), Dallas Cowboys (Mike McCarthy), Indianapolis Colts (Shane Steichen), and New York Giants (Brian Daboll) among the teams that could make a head coaching change.
As for which teams will be focusing on playoff preparations over the next two weeks, here’s a look at the storylines and matchups to watch starting next weekend.
Follow Yahoo Sports as the NFL turns the page from the regular season to the playoffs.
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Browns fire OC Ken Dorsey, OL coach Andy Dickerson
The Browns kept head coach Kevin Stefanski. They didn’t keep two of his offensive assistants.
Cleveland fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson on Sunday after losing to the Ravens on Saturday to finish 3-14 overall.
The Browns offense struggled in 2024
Ken Dorsey is unique as the Browns offensive coordinator. (AP Foto/Sue Ogrocki, archives) -
The training cycle begins to accelerate as NFL regular seasons end
The first window of action in Week 18 is over and the seasons for 20 teams are complete.
In the past, the first Monday after the regular season was known as Black Monday due to coaching layoffs. In recent years, some teams haven’t even waited that long, turning the evening of Week 18 into Black Sunday.
Coaching situations to watch include New England and Jerod Mayo; Jacksonville and Doug Pederson; Indianapolis and Shane Steichen; Dallas and Mike McCarthy; New York Giants and Brian Daboll; and Las Vegas and Antonio Pierce.
Yahoo Sports will keep you up to date with all the latest training news.
Will Mike McCarthy not be retained as Cowboys head coach? (Photo by Émilee Chinn/Getty Images)
