The annual NFL head coaching cycle concluded following the 2021 season. A total of nine teams have made changes to their head coaching positions this year, with all 32 team jobs now being filled prior to the official start of the 2022 offseason.
Just because all 32 teams appear to have settled on a head coach for next season, that doesn't mean that some of them still aren't in the hot seat. Here are three franchises that should start thinking about replacing the one they currently have.
NFL teams that need to start thinking about moving on to a new head coach
#1 - Arizona Cardinals - Kliff Kingsbury
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The Arizona Cardinals have suffered one of the biggest collapses in the NFL this season. After starting the season with an impressive 7-0 record and eventually moving to a solid 10-2 record, they were the best team in football for a little over the first half of the season.
They struggled from that point forward, losing four of their final five regular-season games before being defeated by the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.
The 2020 season produced similar results for Kingsbury and the Cardinals. They won five of their first seven games before losing six of their final nine to miss out on the playoffs. If the Cardinals can't resolve their habit of a late-season collapse, or if they struggle early in the 2022 NFL campaign, it's likely that Kingsbury will be out of a job.
#2 - Carolina Panthers - Matt Rhule
The Panthers organization has been very active in free agency and the trade market the last couple of years, supporting their first-time NFL head coach Matt Rhule. Despite having talent on the roster, Rhule has recorded a disappointing 10-23 record in his first two years with the team.
Rhule has used four different quarterbacks and three different offensive coordinators but has been unable to find a winning combination thus far. He will be looking for a new job if he doesn't turn things around immediately.
#3 - Dallas Cowboys - Mike McCarthy
Jerry Jones has been very vocal about how disappointed he is with the way the Dallas Cowboys' 2021 NFL season ended. After a solid 12-5 record, they were defeated at home in the first round of the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers. Jones is unlikely to remain too patient as he desperately seeks a Super Bowl.
The Cowboys' two coordinators, Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore, each interviewed for open NFL head coaching jobs this offseason but ultimately remained in Dallas. If McCarthy were to be fired, either one of them could potentially step in as the next head coach.
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