The 2024 NFL regular season is nearly in the books, and soon all eyes will be on the 14 teams heading to the playoffs, beginning with this upcoming weekend’s wild-card round. Before then, the teams on the outside looking will likely be making headlines.
Last season, nearly a quarter of the NFL’s franchises had head coaching turnover. What does 2025 hold for teams that are looking for a fresh start, besides their favorable draft position? Here’s a quick glance at the current vacancies:
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jags owner Shad Khan released a statement Monday announcing the firing of Doug Pederson, a move that had been expected since the middle of the season. The 4-13 Jaguars started 2024 with a four-game losing streak, then lost five straight games from Week 8 through 13 while QB Trevor Lawrence had another injury-filled season. While Pederson has been fired, general manager Trent Baalke will remain in place.
New England Patriots: The Patriots now need a new head coach after firing Jerod Mayo right after their Week 18 victory over the Bills, which meant they lost out on the No. 1 overall pick. With Drake Maye in place, it’s an attractive opening, as much as the rest of the roster needs work. Team owner Robert Kraft will presumably have more patience with the next hire than Mayo, a former Patriots player who lasted just one season replacing Bill Belichick.
New Orleans Saints: Dennis Allen was fired on Nov. 4 after a seventh straight loss that evaporated a strong 2-0 start. Allen went 18-25 in three seasons in New Orleans and failed to make the postseason. Darren Rizzi finished the 2024 campaign 5-12. Whoever takes the reins faces a rebuild amid the Saints’ usual salary-cap headaches and uncertainty at the QB position.
New York Jets: This is one of the messier positions in the league as the franchise is also looking for a general manager. The club fired head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 after starting 2-3 and GM Joe Douglas was dismissed six weeks later. While the team has begun interviews, it’s unclear whether QB Aaron Rodgers will be part of the new regime. Mike Vrabel reportedly interviewed for the job last week, along with Ron Rivera. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick interviewed for the GM position.
Chicago Bears: The Bears made history by firing their head coach in-season for the first time, with Thomas Brown taking over as the team was amid a 10-game losing streak that ended with a win over the Packers in the season finale. Whoever replaces Matt Eberflus will be charged primarily with getting No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams on track after a rocky rookie season.
The list of head coach openings is sure to grow in the coming days, but the New York Giants will not be looking for new leadership. Owner John Mara announced Monday that head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will remain in place for the 2025 season. However, the Las Vegas Raiders (Antonio Pierce) and Dallas Cowboys (Mike McCarthy) may be among the teams that could make a change at head coach.
As for the teams that will turn their attention to playoff preparation over the next two weeks, here’s a look at next weekend’s matchups.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports as the NFL turns the page from the regular season to the playoffs.
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NFL playoff schedule is here
The Lions rolled over the Vikings to claim the top seed in the NFC, and the Vikings will now head to Los Angeles for the first round of the playoffs.
For more on wild-card weekend, click here.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 7:54 PM GMT+5:30
Jacksonville’s new head coach will report directly to owner Shad Khan
The Jaguars have fired Doug Pederson, but they aren’t just changing their head coach. According to Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager, there will be a new reporting structure in place for 2025. Instead of reporting to GM Trent Baalke, the new head coach will report directly to owner Shad Khan.
Trent Baalke stays in JAX. As I said on @gmfb , the structure will be different — new coach will report to owner, not GM– but new coach will be inheriting GM from previous era.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 6, 2025
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 7:27 PM GMT+5:30
Giants will retain head coach Brian Daboll, GM Joe Schoen for 2025 season
Unfortunately for Giants fans, the planes flying protest banners over MetLife Stadium did not change owner John Mara’s mind about his team’s leadership.
Mara released a statement Monday morning affirming what fans feared most: general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will continue in their roles next season despite a 3-14 record.
Click here to read more.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 7:14 PM GMT+5:30
Jaguars fire head coach Doug Pederson, but retain GM Trent Baalke
The Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson on Monday following an overtime loss to the Colts in Week 18 and a 4-13 season overall. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
After a rough 4-13 season, the Jaguars have fired head coach Doug Pederson. But general manager Trent Baalke will stay in his position
“I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago,” owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “I will collaborate with general manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to sieze the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville.”
Click here to read more about Pederson’s firing and his difficult tenure in Jacksonville.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 11:11 AM GMT+5:30
Ja’Marr Chase wins triple crown
Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase is just the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era, and the first since Cooper Kupp, to win the triple crown. He racked up 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns on 127 catches, all of which were career-highs for the 24-year-old.
Click here to read more about Chase’s historic season in Cincinnati.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 8:37 AM GMT+5:30
Who should replace Jerod Mayo in New England?
Jerod Mayo was one and done as the Patriots head coach. Here are eight candidates, starting with Mike Vrabel, who could replace him.
Click the photo to read more about who should replace Jerod Mayo in New England. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 8:02 AM GMT+5:30
Mike McDaniel, Chris Grier returning in Miami
The Dolphins won’t be making any changes this offseason after missing the playoffs, either. GM Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel will be back.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 6:59 AM GMT+5:30
No changes in Indy
The Colts won’t be making any changes this offseason. Shane Steichen is back for another year.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 5:58 AM GMT+5:30
Raiders lose, finish 4-13, and now we await Antonio Pierce’s fate
The Raiders’ season is over. Now the big questions begin being addressed.
Chief among them: Will Antonio Pierce return for a second season as a head coach?
His first full year after an interim stint didn’t leave much to like. Then again, he didn’t have a lot to work with.
Now the Raiders are in position to revamp their quarterback room and add pieces in the offseason. Expect minority owner Tom Brady to have a huge say in their future.
The first decision to come figures to be Pierce.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 5:09 AM GMT+5:30
Who might the Patriots target as their next head coach?
Given the Raiders and other teams having legitimate interest in hiring Mike Vrabel, I believe he’s the name of gravity concerning the Patriots’ firing of Jerod Mayo.
This will be New England’s last shot to pursue him. He almost certainly will not be available down the line.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 3:50 AM GMT+5:30
Patriots fire head coach Jerod Mayo
After just one season, the New England Patriots are moving on from head coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots fired their head coach just hours after their season-ending win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
For more on the Patriots’ decision to fire Jerod Mayo, click here.
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 3:39 AM GMT+5:30
Jerry Jones says he has not made a decision about head coaching position
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has not made a decision on the future of the team’s head coaching position. When asked about the possibility of other team’s wanting to interview Mike McCarthy, Jones said he’s fine with that. He said he wants to work with people who want to be here.…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 5, 2025
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 3:06 AM GMT+5:30
Browns fire OC Ken Dorsey, OL coach Andy Dickerson
The Browns kept head coach Kevin Stefanski. They did not keep two of his offensive assistants.
Cleveland fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson Sunday after losing to the Ravens on Saturday to finish 3-14 overall.
Browns’ offense struggled mightily in 2024
Ken Dorsey is one-and-done as Browns offensive coordinator. (AP Foto/Sue Ogrocki, archivo)
- Mon, January 6, 2025 at 2:59 AM GMT+5:30
Coaching cycle begins churning as NFL regular seasons end
The early window of Week 18 action is over, and 20 teams’ seasons have ended.
In years past, the first Monday after the regular season was known as Black Monday because of the coach firings. In recent years, some teams haven’t even waited that long, turning Week 18’s evening 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 updated on all the latest coaching news.
Will Mike McCarthy not be retained as Cowboys head coach? (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)