List of NFL coaches on hot seat still long with Meyer gone

First Jon Gruden, now Urban Meyer.

Two NFL coaches have already been fired or forced to resign this season: Gruden, axed by the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this season after his inappropriate emails were leaked from an NFL investigation and Meyer, fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday night after a season of turmoil and dissension among his players and assistant coaches.

Look for the ranks of former NFL coaches to grow, and soon — and here are a few likely candidates.

Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears: This one is a foregone conclusion at this point. Chicago is 4-9, and any gathering in the greater Chicago area leads to “fire Matt Nagy” chants from jaded Bears fans. There was a report before the team’s Thanksgiving game that Nagy was going to be fired following the contest, but the Bears won, and his keys to the building worked the following Monday.

This will be the Bears’ first losing season under Nagy, who is in his fourth year. Then a young offensive mind, Nagy’s Bears went 12-4 in 2018 under Mitchell Trubisky, but the team declined the next two years, going 8-8 in 2019 and 2020.

Vic Fangio, Denver Broncos: The Broncos are having arguably their best season since they won the Super Bowl under Peyton Manning in 2015. But that doesn’t mean Fangio isn’t on the hot seat.

The Broncos are 7-6 and in the AFC wild-card hunt, but in his third season at the helm, Fangio has a losing record, posting 7-9 and 5-11 records in his first two campaigns. If Fangio can’t make the playoffs with a roster that’s seen as one of the league’s overall best, he may be out the door.

Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks: While Pete Carroll is the opposite of Meyer — proof that a premier college football coach can make it in the NFL — this may be his last season with the Seahawks.

Carroll, who took over the team in 2010, has a 189-117 record in Seattle, but all good things eventually come to an end. Carroll, who turned 70 in September and is the oldest head coach in the NFL, and Wilson are on pace for their first losing season together since the quarterback took over in 2012.

Seattle is 5-8 — which means they’re still alive in the feeble race for the NFC wild card — but with Carroll’s age, reports that Wilson could want out of Seattle and the team’s poor performance, this could be his last with the team — whether that’s a mutual departure, a firing or his retirement.

Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings: In his eighth season, Zimmer’s Vikings have been one of the most confounding teams in the NFL this season. Just take a look at their past two games. They lost to the winless Lions, allowing a game-winning score as time expired. Then, four days later, the Vikings make the Steelers look like the Lions, going up 29-0 in the third quarter, only to allow Pittsburgh back into the game and barely hold on for a one-score victory.

Zimmer has a 70-54-1 record in Minnesota, but the Vikings are currently 6-7 and could go below .500 for the second straight season. If the Kirk Cousins-led Vikings can’t go on a run to end the season to make the NFC wild card, that could cost Zimmer his job.

Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers: Ron Rivera’s replacement in Carolina may not make it to Year 3.

Rhule, who was the coach at Baylor before moving to the NFL, went 5-11 in 2020, but the Panthers had optimism in September when they started 3-0. Sam Darnold, who the team acquired from New York in the offseason, was playing well, as the team defeated the Jets, the Saints and the Texans.

Since then, the team has started two other quarterbacks, paid Cam Newton about $5 million to be a stopgap for the injured Darnold and has gone 2-8. The question for owner David Tepper is whether he sees a better option on the market or if he’ll give Rhule one last shot next year.