NFL Coaching Cycle Timeline: A Look at Every Coaching Change of the 2025 Season

There has been a flurry of activity in the NFL when it comes to head coaching changes, as teams have begun to reassess in the aftermath of the 2025 season. Of course, not every front office waited until after the season ended to make their respective changes to leadership.

In total, there have been nine coaching moves since the beginning of the 2025 season. The first coach to be relieved of his duties was former Titans boss Brian Callahan in a move that dates back to October 13. He and former Giants coach Brian Daboll were the only two head coaches to be let go during the regular season this year, with seven teams electing to wait until after they had played their final game to make a change.

Let’s take a look at the full timeline of NFL head coaching changes during and after the 2025 season.

Coaches fired during the NFL regular season

Oct. 13, 2025: Tennessee Titans fire Brian Callahan

The Titans fired Callahan just six games into the 2025 season after Tennessee limped to a 1–5 start. A 20–10 loss to the Raiders in Week 6 was the final nail in the coffin for Callahan’s short-lived tenure as coach of the Titans. Callahan was hired ahead of the 2024 season. In total, he coached 23 games for the Titans and had a record of 4–19. Mike McCoy was named interim head coach after Callahan was fired.

Nov. 10, 2025: New York Giants fire Brian Daboll

Daboll’s time in New York came to an early end during the 2025 season, when he was fired in the aftermath of a loss to the Bears in which the Giants blew a late lead. That had become something of a theme for the team towards the end of Daboll’s tenure in New York, simply unable to close out games and secure a win. At the time of his firing, the Giants were 2–8. Daboll had been the franchise’s coach since 2022 and posted a 20-40-1 record. After making the playoffs in year one with nine wins, Daboll’s Giants tallied just 11 wins over his last three seasons. Mike Kafka stepped in as interim head coach after Daboll’s dismissal.

NFL Black Monday coaching changes

Jan. 5, 2026: Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris

The Falcons ended the season on a strong note, but a late four-game winning streak wasn’t enough to save Morris from the chopping block. Atlanta finished the season 8–9 and missed the playoffs yet again, prompting the organization to clean house, dismissing Morris and GM Terry Fontenot. The Falcons didn’t make a single postseason appearance in Morris’s tenure, which spanned two seasons. He had a record of 16–18, but couldn’t get a talented Falcons roster over the hump.

Jan. 5, 2026: Cleveland Browns fire Kevin Stefanski

Stefanski’s six-year stint in Cleveland came to an end on Black Monday, as the Browns opted to fire him after a 5–12 season. The Browns made two trips to the playoffs in Stefanski’s tenure, but after going 8–26 in the last two seasons, the front office decided it was time for a change. Stefanski had two winning campaigns in Cleveland but was 45–56 overall as the team’s head coach.

Jan. 5, 2026: Las Vegas Raiders fire Pete Carroll

Carroll was a one-and-done in Las Vegas after failing to find his footing with the Raiders in 2025. The team won just three games and had one of the worst offenses in the league. Carroll was hired during the offseason and there was plenty of allure around what he could do reunited with Geno Smith, but things didn’t go to plan. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty also struggled under Carroll’s watch. After a disappointing 3–14 season, the Raiders are once again in the market for a new coach.

Jan. 5, 2026: Arizona Cardinals fire Jonathan Gannon

Gannon was let go on Black Monday after the Cardinals limped to the finish line of the 2025 season on a nine-game losing streak. The team ended the year 3–14 and promptly fired Gannon after what was his third season as head coach. Overall, Gannon went 15–36 across his three years in Arizona, but never led the Cardinals to the playoffs, or even to a winning season.

Post-Black Monday NFL coaching changes

Jan. 6, 2026: Baltimore Ravens fire John Harbaugh

After the Ravens missed out on the playoffs due to a missed game-winning field goal in Week 18 vs. the Steelers, Harbaugh’s lengthy tenure in Baltimore reached its end. Two days after the season-ending loss, owner Steve Bisciotti fired Harbaugh over the phone, and the Ravens had their first head coaching vacancy since 2008. Harbaugh had been in the role for 18 years and had a 180–113 record as a head coach in Baltimore. He won a Super Bowl with the team in 2012 and made the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons.

Jan. 8, 2026: Miami Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel

McDaniel’s ousting was somewhat of a surprise, given he’d spoken to reporters a few days prior and said he’d be part of the search for a new GM after Miami fired Chris Grier during the season. Instead, following a meeting with owner Stephen Ross, McDaniel also found himself out of a job. McDaniel had been the Dolphins’ coach since 2022, and made two trips to the playoffs with the team, though they missed out in each of the last two years. Overall, he had a 35–33 record, but back-to-back losing seasons cut short his time as the Dolphins’ boss.

Jan. 13, 2026: Mike Tomlin steps down as Pittsburgh Steelers coach

Mike Tomlin was the NFL’s longest tenured head coach, up until Tuesday when he stepped down from his role with the Steelers. The decision came on the heels of Pittsburgh’s wild-card playoff round loss to the Texans, which marked the franchise’s seventh straight playoff loss, and fifth in a row by double digits. Tomlin won a Super Bowl with the team in his second season back in 2008 and never endured a losing campaign in Pittsburgh. Still, even after sneaking into the playoffs after a third-straight 10-win season, the team’s inability to get it done on the biggest stages led to Tomlin’s ousting.

Tomlin is reportedly considering taking his talents to TV. It’s worth noting that because he stepped down, as opposed to being fired, if he were to return to coaching, the Steelers would have his coaching rights. Any team that would be interested in hiring him, at least through the 2026 season, would need to trade for him.