While the Minnesota Vikings know who their head coach will be for the remainder of this 2025 season (and likely for years to come) in reigning NFL Coach of the Year Kevin O'Connell, not every franchise can say that with absolute certainty.
The Tennessee Titans made the first firing of the campaign this past Monday, parting ways with Brian Callahan just six games into his second season. And given the slow starts of several other teams, one could easily assume that more dismissals are forthcoming.
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton recently compiled a list of five candidates he believes could soon join Callahan in the unemployment line, and in addition to the Cincinnati Bengals' Zac Taylor, the Miami Dolphins' Mike McDaniel, and the New York Jets' Aaron Glenn, he included a pair of former Vikings assistants on the list, those being Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns and Jonathan Gannon of the Arizona Cardinals.
Longtime Minnesota Vikings assistant Kevin Stefanski has been the best Cleveland Browns head coach in decades
After just one season at the collegiate level as the assistant director of football operations at Penn, where he was a two-time All-Ivy League selection as a player, Stefanski began his NFL coaching career with the Vikings in 2006 and ultimately spent 14 seasons with the franchise, surviving three head coaching changes before signing on to become the Browns' head coach in 2020.
A two-time NFL Coach of the Year (2020, 2023), Stefanski is in his sixth season with the team, which is considered an eternity in Cleveland, and has twice led the Browns to the postseason.
But after a 3-14 campaign a season ago and a 1-5 start to this 2025 campaign, the 43-year-old could be on the chopping block if things don't turn around soon. Here's a bit of what Moton had to say.
"The Cleveland Browns field a top-seven pass and run defense, but the unit isn't getting much help from the offensive side of the ball. Star edge-rusher Myles Garrett expressed his frustration with the way the Browns lost their games.
Entering Week 7, the Browns haven't scored more than 17 points in a contest this season, an indictment of Kevin Stefanski, an offensive-minded head coach.
In fairness to Stefanski, he has a rookie starting quarterback in Dillon Gabriel, but the Browns' lead skipper faces the task of developing the young signal-caller and deciding if he's fit for the position week to week.
If Cleveland's offense doesn't show much improvement in the coming weeks, the players' frustrations could boil over in the locker room, forcing team brass to make a head-coaching change."
While the Browns are undoubtedly in a bad spot right now, letting Stefanski go at this point would be a massive mistake.
As mentioned, he's twice taken the Browns to the postseason, which no Cleveland coach has done since Marty Schottenheimer in the 1980s. Get the guy some better offensive talent this offseason and give him at least another year.
Former Vikings DB coach Jonathan Gannon is going in the wrong direction with the Arizona Cardinals
Jonathan Gannon didn't have nearly as long a run in Minnesota as Stefanski, but still served as the Vikings' assistant defensive backs coach for four seasons from 2014 to 2017.
After three years with the Indianapolis Colts, where he met Nick Sirianni, he followed Sirianni to the Philadelphia Eagles, serving as his defensive coordinator before becoming the Cardinals' head coach in 2023.
Here's how Moton assessed Gannon' situation.
"Under Jonathan Gannon, the Arizona Cardinals doubled their win total between 2023 and 2024, with quarterback Kyler Murray healthy for all of last year, but the team is headed in the wrong direction midway through the 2025 campaign.
Murray is hurt again, though this time, he suffered a foot injury. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the signal-caller's mid-foot sprain is "a version of a Lisfranc injury," and it could sideline him for more than a week.
In Week 6, the Cardinals started Jacoby Brissett under center and lost to the Indianapolis Colts 31-27. Though Arizona battled Indianapolis in a close matchup, it's a results-based business, which means the team's 2-4 record could turn up the temperature on Gannon's seat.
Given Murray's uncertain return date, the Cardinals could lose their fifth consecutive game in Week 7, a home matchup against the Green Bay Packers. If the Packers embarrass them at State Farm Stadium, Gannon may not be the club's head coach on the other side of a Week 8 bye."
It's unfortunate that a head coach's job is often tied to how his quarterback performs, but that's the world these guys live in.
It's also where Kevin O'Connell has separated himself at times, as he's had success the last two seasons with Sam Darnold and Carson Wentz, but that's just what KOC does with QBs, which a resurgent Daniel Jones recently explained. But I digress.
As for Gannon, without Murray, the Cards appear to be doomed. At 2-4, they currently reside in last place in the NFC West, a division in which all three other teams are 4-2, which obviously makes life even more difficult.
Unlike Stefanski, Gannon doesn't have a pair of COY trophies or a postseason win or even a playoff appearance to help his case.
I don't think the Cards will pull the trigger during the season, but if Gannon doesn't show that he can win without Murray, he could easily get the axe come January.