Let’s be real—getting fired stinks. It’s that feeling of walking into Monday morning and realizing your job just packed up and left without you. But in the NFL, it happens faster than you can say “fourth down.” This year, a handful of head coaches got the boot, and their stories are surprisingly relatable.
The Morning Meeting Nobody Wants
Imagine you’ve been working on a huge project for months. You’ve put in the late nights, the early mornings, and even skipped your kid’s soccer game. Then, your boss walks in and says, “Thanks, but we’re going in a different direction.”
That’s basically what happened to Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears. He was fired mid-season, which is like being told you’re fired from your landscaping job in the middle of mowing the lawn. Eberflus had a tough roster, but the Bears’ losing streak felt like a broken sprinkler in a drought—just more bad news.
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Why Should You Care?
You might think, “I don’t own a football team, so why does this matter?” Well, we all know what it feels like to be the fall guy. Remember when your group project failed because one person didn’t do their part, but everyone got the same bad grade? That’s an NFL coach. They take the hit for the whole crew.
When Robert Saleh got canned by the New York Jets, it was like watching a sous chef get blamed for a burnt steak that the head chef forgot on the grill. Saleh’s defense was actually pretty good! But his quarterback situation was a mess, and someone had to pay. It’s a classic case of “the person who tries the hardest gets the first pink slip.”
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The “It’s Not You, It’s Us” Speech
Then there’s Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints. He was let go after a string of bad losses. Think of him as the friend who always hosts the party but gets blamed when the music isn’t loud enough. He inherited an aging team and a salary cap that looked like a credit card bill after a garage sale—yikes.
The thing is, Allen is a smart guy. He just couldn’t make the pieces fit. It’s like trying to assemble a bookshelf with a hammer and a butter knife—no matter how hard you try, the shelf is going to wobble. Eventually, the boss says, “This shelf is wobbly. You’re fired.”
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The Luck Factor (And Bad Taco Tuesdays)
Here’s a little secret: a coach’s job often comes down to luck. Did your star quarterback get hurt? Did the refs make a horrible call? Did a kicker miss a chip-shot field goal? That’s like getting a flat tire on the way to a job interview. It’s not your fault, but you still don’t get the job.
Look at Josh McDaniels with the Las Vegas Raiders (fired in 2023, but the effects ripple on). His story is like ordering a gourmet burger, getting a soggy bun, and then the restaurant blaming the chef who only had two hands. McDaniels made some bad personnel moves, sure, but the whole franchise felt like a broken toaster. Everyone’s bread got burned.
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The Silver Lining of the Pink Slip
Believe it or not, getting fired from an NFL job isn’t the end of the world. These guys get a massive paycheck (often still paid for years) and a chance to restart. It’s like when you get laid off and suddenly discover you can sleep in until 10 a.m. and drink coffee without checking email. Hello, week-long pajama party!
Plus, many fired coaches land on their feet. Bill Belichick himself got fired from the Cleveland Browns back in the day. That turned out okay for him, right? It’s a reminder that one bad season doesn’t make you a bad person—it just makes you a person who had a really, really bad Tuesday.
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What We Can Learn from Their Bad Friday
So, what’s the takeaway for you and me? Keep your head up when things go wrong. Every coach who got fired this year will probably get another shot. They’ll learn from their mistakes, maybe hire a better quarterback coach, and try again.
And when your boss gives you a tough performance review, think of Robert Saleh. He got fired in the middle of practice, and he still walked out with his head high. Sometimes, a fresh start is exactly what you need—especially if it comes with a healthy severance package and the chance to finally watch your kid’s soccer game.
So, the next time you hear an NFL coach got canned, don’t just shrug. Pour one out for them. They’re just like us—trying to win the game, avoid the blame, and maybe, just maybe, keep their job until the weekend.