National Football League

5 NFL coaches under most pressure in 2024: How hot is Mike McCarthy's seat?

Updated Aug. 9, 2024 3:03 p.m. ET

The start of the 2024 season is only a few weeks away, but a handful of coaches enter the season with "win or go home" mandates from ownership. Although some of the coaches sitting on this hot seat list have enjoyed success with their current teams, the short attention spans of owners and observers force coaches to maintain their winning ways or risk losing their jobs in a league that annually turns over around 25 percent of its head coaches.

Given the NFL's ultra-competitive environment, here are five coaches facing immense pressure to deliver big results this season:

Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys

The one-time Super Bowl winner sports a .620 career winning percentage and guided the Cowboys to three straight seasons with at least 12 wins, but he enters 2024 with a "Super Bowl or bust" mandate. The Cowboys' epic postseason failures have led to concerns about his ability to take "America's Team" to the next level despite his impressive resume and winning pedigree. With a circus atmosphere around the team due to the uncertainty around the contracts of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, McCarthy will need to shine as a ringmaster to notch a fourth consecutive season with 12-plus wins and a deep playoff run to remain the leader of the NFL's most polarizing squad.

Robert Saleh, New York Jets

The fourth-year head coach is running out of time and excuses to get the job done in the Big Apple with a four-time MVP at quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and a collection of emerging stars on each side of the ball. Though it is hard to count on a 40-year-old gunslinger bouncing back from a season-ending Achilles, the talent around the future gold jacket recipient makes the Jets a lock to make the postseason tournament in an ultra-competitive AFC field. As one of the few teams in the NFL with a defense loaded with enough blue-chip talent to win games with minimal contributions from the offense, Saleh must find a way to chalk up Ws with or without Rodgers and Co. playing at an elite level. Given the playoff expectations around New York, Saleh must deliver this season or find work elsewhere after a so far disappointing run with the Jets.

Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

Despite guiding the Eagles to a Super Bowl LII appearance and a 10-1 start in 2023, Sirianni is coaching for his job this season after the team's epic collapse. The brash head coach seemingly lost control of his team after his offense and defense sputtered to the finish line. Though the Eagles' new coordinators — Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio — should add more organization, structure, and discipline to a team that desperately needed direction, Sirianni must show improvement as a leader despite owning a .667 winning percentage with a pair of playoff berths on his resume. If Jalen Hurts and Co. regain their mojo and the defense responds to Fangio's tough-love tactics, the Eagles' polarizing coach could extend his stay in Philly.

Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears

After sitting on the hot seat for most of the 2023 season following a rocky start as the Bears' leader, Eberflus is back on the hibachi with the football world expecting the "Monsters of the Midway" to surge to the top of the NFC with Caleb Williams directing a new-look offense loaded with pass catchers and playmakers. The Bears' upgraded WR corps features Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze teaming with D.J. Moore to give the rookie QB three big-bodied pass catchers to target on the perimeter. As D'Andre Swift settles in as RB1 behind an offensive line with the capacity to blow defenders off the ball, the Bears should be able to impose their will on opponents ill-equipped to deal with an explosive offense with the capacity to win with force or finesse. With a hustle-hard defense specializing in creating disruptive plays at the point of attack, Eberflus should have the Bears vying for a playoff berth this season.

Brian Daboll, New York Giants

The honeymoon is over for Daboll after the Giants slogged through a disappointing 2023 campaign that failed to build on the momentum created by the team's unexpected playoff run during his rookie season in charge. Despite masterfully crafting an offense that helped Daniel Jones convince the franchise to fork over $40 million annually, Daboll could not find a remedy for the offensive woes last season. In addition, the coach's personal spat with defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale prompted the defensive wizard to vacate his post in the offseason. Though the Giants have upgraded the personnel on each side of the ball, the head coach's questionable decisions, as well as Saquon Barkley's free-agent departure, put the pressure on the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year to get the team back on track this season.

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the "Moving the Sticks" podcast. Follow him on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.