Since we last published this column, we’ve already seen one turkey axed ahead of Thanksgiving.
That was Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, a man whose ousting sparked a rapid turnaround in Nevada. Behind interim coach Antonio Pierce and fourth-round rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell the Raiders are 2-1 post-McDaniels after going 9-16 with him.
McDaniels’ dismissal has been vindicated in a short window. He won’t be the only man fired for failing to lead his team to glory in 2023, however.
One or two teams will make knee-jerk decisions. Others will course correct after waiting too long. When Black Monday rolls around, a slate of head coaches will take their buyouts and go home, leaving opportunities for a new class of play callers to take their places.
As we near the two-thirds mark of the regular season, here are the firing frontrunners so far.