Hiring an NFL head coach is supposed to be a carefully calculated decision. But sometimes, teams swing big and miss so badly that the regret starts before the season even gets rolling.
These are the hires that went south fast—press conferences that felt off, training camps that looked chaotic, and regular seasons that turned into disaster reels. Whether it was locker room disconnect or flat-out bad football, these ten hires had teams second-guessing themselves almost immediately.
10. Urban Meyer – Jacksonville Jaguars
From skipping team flights to strange off-field headlines, Meyer turned his short tenure into a circus. The Jaguars knew they’d messed up long before the season ended.
9. Nathaniel Hackett – Denver Broncos
Hackett looked overwhelmed from the jump, with clock mismanagement and awkward decision-making taking center stage. Denver fans were calling for change before Halloween.
8. Jim Tomsula – San Francisco 49ers
Tomsula got promoted and immediately looked like a guy over his head. The press conferences were weird, the football was worse, and the whole thing unraveled fast.
7. Hue Jackson – Cleveland Browns
Jackson came in promising a new era, but the losing never stopped. Even as he insisted progress was happening, the team and the league saw a mess.
6. Bobby Petrino – Atlanta Falcons
Petrino didn’t even last a full season before bailing for a college job. His leadership style clashed with the locker room, and players knew it wasn’t going to work.
5. Freddie Kitchens – Cleveland Browns
Kitchens was likable but clearly unprepared for the head coaching spotlight. The Browns had talent, but under him, they looked lost.
4. Adam Gase – New York Jets
Gase’s introductory press conference raised eyebrows—and things never got better. The offense sputtered, the locker room soured, and the writing was on the wall early.
3. Joe Judge – New York Giants
The judge talked tough, but the results didn’t back it up. By the time he was running QB sneaks on third down from his own goal line, everyone knew it was over.
Read More: Ranking the 15 Worst NFL Coaching Hires of All Time
2. Steve Wilks – Arizona Cardinals
Wilks lasted one season in Arizona, and it never felt like the right fit. The team looked unprepared weekly, and the franchise hit reset almost immediately.
Read More: The 10 Most Clueless NFL Coaching Hires of the Modern Era
1. Lane Kiffin – Oakland Raiders
Al Davis made a splash by hiring the young Kiffin, but the two clashed from day one. It all ended with Davis reading a fiery letter aloud to announce his firing—a moment that summed up just how wrong the choice was.
Read More: 10 NFL Coaches Hired for Vibes, Not Wins
