HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders fired Pete Carroll on Monday after just one year, meaning they will enter their third consecutive season with a new coach in charge.
Carroll expressed high hopes upon taking over, saying he was used to double-digit victories and he expected the same in Las Vegas. But the Raiders went 3-14, going on a 10-game losing streak before finishing with a 14-12 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Now the question is where the Raiders head next under the direction of owner Mark Davis, minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek. Davis said in a statement that Spytek would work with Brady to find the next coach.
“Together, they will guide football decisions with a shared focus on leadership, culture and alignment with the organization’s long-term vision and goals,” Davis said.
The team could seek an offensive-minded coach to work with a young quarterback should the Raiders draft Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore with the first pick.
That formula worked well this season in Chicago with coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams and in Jacksonville with coach Liam Coen and QB Trevor Lawrence. Both teams are playoff bound after experiencing losing seasons the year before.
There is no one path to success, however. The New England Patriots hired a defensive coach in Mike Vrabel, and he worked well with quarterback Drake Maye to help the Patriots go from a 4-13 record to 14-3 and the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Carroll, 74, was the NFL’s oldest head coach, and he came to Las Vegas with the intent of winning right away. He got his wish of bringing in quarterback Geno Smith, whom he coached in Seattle. Neither found the success they expected, with Smith throwing a league-high 17 interceptions as the losses piled up.
This wasn’t what Carroll was used to. He coached the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title and USC to two national championships.
But now Carroll has been dismissed, just as Antonio Pierce was last year and Josh McDaniels midway through the 2023 season.
The Raiders have run through coaches since appearing in the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. They have made the playoffs just twice since then, losing both wild-card games.
Browns fire 2-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski after 6 seasons
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski watches from the sideline during a game against the Ravens on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns have fired coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons.
The Browns won their final two games to finish 5-12, including a 20-18 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
The 43-year-old Stefanski is a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year and had a 46-58 overall record. He led Cleveland to playoff appearances in 2020 and 2023. The Browns’ 48-37 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild-card game at the end of the 2020 season was the franchise’s first playoff win since 1993.
“I leave with an immense sense of gratitude. A sincere ‘Thank You’ to everyone who I have been so blessed to work for and with over these six seasons,” Stefanski said in a statement released through the Browns. “I’d like to especially thank my coaching staff and the players who did everything that was ever asked of them. They fought through injury and adversity, while always putting the team first.”
Stefanski is the sixth coach fired since owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam bought the franchise in 2012. The five coaches hired by the Haslams have a 73-139-1 regular-season record, the second-worst mark in the NFL.
The Haslams are not doing a total house cleaning, announcing Andrew Berry will remain as general manager.
Stefanski met with ownership Monday morning, but Jimmy Haslam indicated the decision already had been made.
“Those decisions tend to be made over a period of time,” Haslam said during a news conference 45 minutes after Stefanski’s firing was announced. “I don’t think there was one breaking point. You’ve got to look at the body of work and sometimes it’s just time for a change.”
Stefanski is credited with establishing a positive culture in a franchise epitomized by dysfunction. However, Stefanski was done in by something that has plagued the Browns since their return in 1999 — the lack of a franchise quarterback.
Stefanski had 13 starting quarterbacks during his tenure, including seven the past two seasons. Both were the most in the league.
The Browns thought they had their quarterback in 2022 when they released Baker Mayfield and acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans for five draft picks, including three in the first round.
Instead, the trade for Watson has set the Browns back for years.
Jimmy Haslam said during the league meetings last March that the Browns “took a big swing and miss” with the Watson trade and that “we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.”
Stefanski was criticized during the season for his early handling of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The fifth-round pick did not receive any snaps with the first team in practices until he came in for Dillon Gabriel in the second half of a Nov. 16 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Sanders was the Browns starter for the final seven games and went 3-4. He had plenty of growing pains, including working behind a makeshift offensive line and not having his leading rusher or receiver for the final two games.
Cleveland was fourth in the league in total defense as Myles Garrett had 23 sacks, setting the league’s single-season record. However, the offense ranked 30th and averaged 16.4 points, second-fewest in the league.
Stefanski is expected to be a prime candidate for other openings throughout the league. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz also is expected to be high on other team’s wish lists.
Schwartz has head coaching experience, leading the Detroit Lions from 2009 through 2013, and is expected to get an interview for the in-house opening.
“We’ve got to find the right head coach,” Haslam said. “We’ve got to be efficient again in free agency. We have 10 draft picks, including two (first-round picks). We are solely focused on having a great 120 days so we can start winning games around here.”
— Joe Reedy, AP
Falcons fire coach Raheem Morris, GM Terry Fontenot hours after finishing 8-9 season
Falcons owner Arthur Blank, right, greets coach Raheem Morris after a game against the Buccaneers on Dec. 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday night, announcing the moves hours after the team completed its second straight 8-9 finish under Morris and eighth consecutive losing season.
Morris said after Sunday’s 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints that he expected to return for a third season. Instead, his 16-18 record was not enough for him to keep his job after the year began with optimism that the Falcons would reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
“I have great personal affinity for both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons, but I believe we need new leadership in these roles moving forward,” owner Arthur Blank said in a statement.
“The decision to move away from people who represent the organization so well and have a shared commitment to the values that are important to the organization is not an easy one, but the results on the field have not met our expectations or those of our fans and leadership. I wish Raheem and Terry the absolute best in their future pursuits.”
The Falcons finished with four straight wins and in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South, but the streak came after the team had been eliminated from playoff contention. The Carolina Panthers won the division because they had a better record in divisional games.
Blank attended Morris’ postgame news conference and gave the second-year coach a hug after the session. The owner showed no emotion when Morris was asked if he expected to return.
“You know, my expectation is always to be back, right?” Morris said before looking at Blank and adding, “I’m going to coach this football team as long as he allows it.”
When asked if he had discussed his job status with Blank, Morris said: “You can’t worry about those things. The boss is sitting right there. All those things — this is a business, what we do. I know it’s fun for you guys to talk about it, but those decisions will always be made at a proper time. Those decisions will always be made, utilize whatever is best for the Atlanta Falcons.”
Blank was scheduled to speak at a news conference Thursday.
Fontenot was named general manager before the 2021 season. The team was 36-48 during his tenure, but the Falcons got solid production from his 2025 draft class. First-round picks James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker led NFL rookies in sacks, and third-round pick Xavier Watts led all rookies with five interceptions.
Walker said Sunday that Morris did “a great job of keeping the culture here strong. I commend him. All of our trials and tribulations this season, we’ve found a way, we’ve made a way.”
Guard Chris Lindstrom also expressed support for Morris.
“Coach Rah really fosters a connection with one another,” Lindstrom said. “Really, we have that across the team and across all three phases. When you have that, when things aren’t going right, there’s still belief in what we want to achieve and belief in one another.
“It’s also respect and love for one another too. So when it’s easy to pull off the gas, you don’t because you care about the guys around you. The fan base deserves it, and we all know that. So I was really proud of our guys to be able to finish the season that way.”
When asked about the possibility of a coaching change, wide receiver Drake London said: “That’s above my pay grade. I can’t make those decisions. I love everybody who’s on this team, everybody who makes this team tick. I love everybody.”
The moves came after Blank hired the consulting firm Sportsology, which previously worked with his Major League Soccer franchise, Atlanta United, to study the Falcons. The Falcons said the search for a new coach and GM would begin immediately, with an executive search firm, ZRG Partners, assisting on the coach search and Sportsology helping with the general manager search.
The Falcons set no timeline for either hire and said the searches will be conducted concurrently.
Morris also served as the Falcons’ interim coach for the final 11 games in 2020, going 4-7 after Dan Quinn was fired following an 0-5 start.
Arthur Smith took over after that season and posted three consecutive 7-10 records from 2021 through 2023. The hiring of Morris, who had been the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, came with Blank expressing optimism the Falcons were ready to win.
— Charles Odum, AP
Cardinals fire coach Jonathan Gannon after a dismal 3rd season
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon speaks to reporters after a game against the Rams on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon was fired after a dismal third season that started with high expectations but quickly collapsed thanks to injuries, embarrassing gaffes and a long string of losses that became increasingly noncompetitive.
The Cardinals made the announcement Monday. General manager Monti Ossenfort will be retained.
The final indignity came Sunday, when the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cardinals 37-20 after scoring the final 21 points. It was the team’s ninth straight loss and 14th setback in 15 games.
Now a new coaching staff will get the chance to rebuild a franchise that will have the No. 3 draft pick in April but has been to the playoffs just once since 2016.
The 43-year-old Gannon finished his tenure with a 15-36 record, including 3-14 this season. His firing was not necessarily surprising, but the speed of his downfall was still jarring.
The Cardinals had an 8-9 record last year in Gannon’s second season and the franchise appeared on the upswing. Two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray was in his prime and Ossenfort spent much of the offseason upgrading the defense, adding veteran pieces Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell.
But nothing has gone as planned.
Arizona won its first two games, though that would prove to be the high point. The Cardinals lost the next five games by a combined 13 points, including three straight on last-second field goals.
During that stretch, injuries started piling up. Murray hurt his foot in a Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans and hasn’t played since, calling into question whether he’ll be the team’s quarterback in 2026 despite a five-year, $230.5 million contract that could run through 2028.
Starting running back James Conner missed most of the season with a foot injury, while wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. — the No. 4 pick in 2024 — struggled with injuries and inconsistency.
There were also some embarrassing moments that added to the tension. Running back Emari Demercado dropped the football just short of a touchdown while celebrating too early against the Titans, which started a stunning collapse that saw a 21-9 lead turn into a 22-21 defeat.
Gannon was caught on camera angrily confronting Demercado, appearing to bump the running back as he swiped his arm downward. The Cardinals fined the coach $100,000 for his actions.
Arizona was called for a franchise-record 17 penalties in a 41-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11. The Cardinals were 0-6 against NFC West opponents this season, losing the last four by a combined 88 points.
Gannon was hired in 2023 after two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, who reached the Super Bowl during his final year before losing to the Chiefs.
— David Brandt, AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/nfl-coach-firings-pete-carroll/
