The New England Patriots will part ways with longtime head coach Bill Belichick, multiple outlets reported Thursday morning, making him the eighth NFL head coach to be fired or leave a team in a season tied for most non-retirement turnover in recent memory.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks on in the first half at Gillette Stadium on ... [+]
ESPN's Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss cited multiple league sources Thursday morning reporting that Belichick would leave the Patriots after 24 seasons, news that comes after a tough 4-13 season raised questions about his future with the team.
Pete Carroll will stay with the Seattle Seahawks but leave his position as head coach after 14 seasons, the team announced Wednesday, moving instead to an advisory position.
The Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Vrabel in a surprise move after six seasons that included two playoff victories.
In a more anticipated move, the Washington Commanders fired coach Ron Rivera on Monday after his fourth season ended with eight consecutive losses, including a home loss to the division-rival Dallas Cowboys.
The Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith late Sunday night, according to the NFL, saying his "results on the field have not met our expectations" over the last three seasons, none of which included a postseason appearance.
The Los Angeles Chargers fired both their head coach, Brandon Staley, and general manager Tom Tolesco in December after the team lost five in six games; the Chargers ended the regular season with a 5-12 record.
Head coach Frank Reich didn't make it a full calendar year as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers before he was fired after a 1-10 start to the 2023 season; the team also fired General Manager Scott Fitterer earlier this week.
Josh McDaniels was the first to get the ax this season when the Raiders fired him on Halloween night—the team ended the regular season 8-9.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll walks the field before the game against the Arizona ... [+]
The loss of eight coaches—not including retirements—puts the 2023 season tied for the most coaching turnover with the 2021-2022, though that year’s losses also included a non-performance-related resignation following homophobic and misogynistic emails from former Raiders Coach Jon Gruden. On average, 6.2 teams have fired or parted ways with a head coach in each season over the last nine years. The 2021 season is the only other to have as much turnover as this year, and more could be on the way. Seven coaches were lost in each the 2014, 2018, and 2020 seasons; six in the 2015 and 2017 seasons; and five in each the 2016, 2019 and 2022 seasons.
- That’s the highest number of NFL coaches ever to be replaced in a single season. Including the retirements of New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Bruce Arians, 10 coaches were replaced following the 2021 season, tied with turnover reached in 1978, 1997 and 2006.
Bill Belichick holds the title of the longest running head coach in all of the NFL. His coaching career includes time with the Colts, Lions, Broncos, Giants, Browns and Jets, and he landed his first head coaching position with the Cleveland Browns in 1991. He was the head coach of the New York Jets for a single day before leaving to accept the New England job in 2000. He's been the head coach ever since and led the team to nine Super Bowl appearances and six wins. Belichick was on the coaching staff for a total of eight Super Bowl wins across teams, making him the coach with the most championships in NFL history.
Head coach Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on prior to the NFC Championship Game ... [+]
Rumors that the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles may also be looking for a change in the head coaching position have been circling for months, which could make the 2023 season the year with the most firings in almost a decade. Speculation has been circling that the Eagles may part ways with Nick Sirianni following a mid-season downturn in success. The team will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs on Monday. The Dallas Cowboys also made it to the playoffs—the team's first game against the Packers is scheduled for Sunday—but Mike McCarthy has been floated as a potential coach to be fired since the start of the season. The Athletic's Mike Sando earlier this week predicted that Belichick could replace McCarthy with the Cowboys. Typically, teams that make the playoffs will not implement coaching changes until after the postseason.