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More than 500 head coaches have been a part of the NFL in its over 100 years of existence. Since the final official merger in 1970, 88 head coaches have been fired in the middle of an active season, and 34 of them have been fired since 2000.
The New Orleans Saints have fired a head coach during the season six times, the most in NFL history, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens have not done so in their franchise history.
5 notable NFL head coach firings
Here are some of the notable head coach firings in NFL history that occurred during the season.
#1 - Urban Meyer, Jacksonville Jaguars (2021)
Urban Meyer didn't survive his first season as a head coach in the NFL. He was fired prior to Week 15 of the 2021 NFL season after just 13 games in which he coached to a 2-11 record. Though the record was bad, it was much more about all of the off-field issues that piled up over his short time with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Also read: Urban Meyer timeline: How embarrassing events and controversies led to Jaguars firing
Between hiring Chris Doyle, mismanaging the roster, viral videos of unfaithfulness and even attacking a player, it's been a messy couple of months for Urban Meyer and his NFL head coaching career. Owner Shad Khan had seen enough and fired at him after just 13 total games.
5 NFL head coaches who were fired during the season
Notable NFL head coaches that were fired during an active season.
#2 - Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles (2015)
The Chip Kelly experiment didn't work out in Philadelphia. He had a ton of success with the Oregon Ducks in college football, but his "fast break" style of offense just didn't work in the NFL. Kelly also made questionable roster decisions, like convincing the organization to trade superstar running back LeSean McCoy for mediocre linebacker Kiko Alonso.
#3 - Hue Jackson, Cleveland Browns (2018)
Hue Jackson will always be remembered for his 0-16 record. It was one of the worst single-season records in NFL history. It was an overall miserable performance over his two-and-a-half year span as head coach, accumulating a disastrous 3-36-1 career record. He is statistically one of the worst head coaches in NFL history.
Also read: Which teams have gone winless in the NFL?
#4 - Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers (2018)
Mike McCarthy is the only head coach on this list to win a Super Bowl. He is also the longest tenured head coach on this specific list. During his 13th season with the Green Bay Packers, and his 7th season after the Super Bowl victory, he was fired. After spending a year away from football, Jerry Jones hired him to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys prior to the 2020 season.
#5 - Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans (2013)
Gary Kubiak had success with the Houston Texans. He won the AFC South division in back-to-back years in 2011 and 2012, but apparently that wasn't enough to provide him with job security. He was promptly fired after a disappointing 2-11 start to the 2013 season.
