A handful of NFL head coaches are walking into the 2026 season with some real pressure attached, and the list starts with a few names that have already seen both highs and lows in their current jobs.
Aaron Glenn is the first one to watch in New York. His debut season with the Jets went sideways fast, with the team opening 0-7 before finishing 3-14.
The quarterback situation remains a major problem, and the current answer is expected to be Geno Smith, who has been in the news for some significant legal issues this summer. If the Jets stumble again, Glenn could be out by mid-season.
Todd Bowles is another coach whose seat could heat up quickly. It feels strange to say that about someone who opened his run with three straight division titles, but that’s where things stand.
Bowles reached his high point with a 10-7 record in 2024, then watched Tampa Bay slip backward last year and miss the postseason. If the Buccaneers regress again after Mike Evans decided to leave the franchise after over a decade, the pressure to make a change will only grow.
Zac Taylor is in a similar spot in Cincinnati, where the early success still hangs over a much bumpier stretch. Taylor got the Bengals to two playoff trips, including a Super Bowl appearance, early in his tenure.
Since then, though, the team has missed the playoffs three straight years and just posted its first losing record since 2020. Joe Burrow’s health issues have played a big role in that slide, but another missed postseason - a fourth in a row - could be enough to end this roller-coaster run.
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Geno Smith Just Gave Jets Fans Another Reason To Worry
Geno Smiths return has already been one of the biggest talking points around the Jets as training camp approaches, and the quarterback is now dealing with another off-field distraction. He was fined $400 after being stopped by police for speeding, adding an unwelcome layer to a summer that was supposed to be about football and a fresh start.
For a Jets team trying to build momentum, the timing is less than ideal. NFL.com recently pointed to the defenses improvement, Smiths return and even whether the club can ride some of the New York Knicks recent success into the fall, but any added noise around the quarterback only makes the path a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Hit With Brutal NFL Label Despite Their Full Reset
The Jets spent the offseason trying to wipe the slate clean, bringing in Geno Smith, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Demario Davis and other veterans while also leaning on a 2026 draft class that gave the roster a very different look. Even with those moves, NFL analyst Gary Davenport still slotted New York as the leagues fourth-worst team, a reminder that a reset on paper does not automatically translate into respect around the NFL.
Davenport sees enough to like in the offense and points to rookie David Bailey as a defensive piece worth watching, but the broader outlook remains uneasy for a team trying to climb out of the leagues basement. Smiths turnover history is part of the backdrop, and the Jets will have to prove the new mix can hold up once the games start to matter, because the early read from outside the building is that 2026 could still be a grind. [Read more 🡒]