About This Quiz
The NFL is a big (and cutthroat) business, and the coaching carousel is a whirlwind of constant activity. Can you match these head coaches to their 2017 teams … before they all get fired?In 2000, Bill Belichick resigned after one day on the job for the New York Jets because he really wanted to work for the Patriots. Jets fans can only wonder how their team would look if they'd managed to keep their hands on the NFL's best coach.
After more than a decade with the Eagles, Reid got a fresh start in Kansas City, where he's assembled one of the best Chiefs teams in years. K.C. fans hope he's the man to finally get their team back to elite status.
Arians has coached all over the college and pro football world, but is currently the head coach of the Cardinals. He got his first playoff win in 2015, when his club beat the Packers in the Divisional round.
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By the time you read this, the answer may have changed again. There's nowhere to go but up for Hue Jackson, who inherited the mess in Cleveland. Only time will tell whether he can survive the turmoil that always consumes this Ohio team.
Quinn is the guy who guided the Falcons to an epic clash with the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. But an equally epic meltdown found his squad somehow blowing a 28-3 lead and then losing the game in overtime.
Harbaugh got the job in Baltimore in 2008 and has gone on to record one of the best win-loss ratios during that span. He also helped the Ravens triumph in Super Bowl XLVII.
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Rivera was an All-American linebacker during his college days at Cal. Now, he's the head coach at Carolina, where he's attempting to fashion talented QB Cam Newtown into a consistent leader for the Panthers.
In Cincinnati, Lewis took on a serious rebuilding effort and saw almost immediate success, guiding the Bengals to their first AFC North title in a decade and a half. But he has yet to log even a single playoff win.
Steelers fans love Mike Tomlin, the boyish head coach who won his first Super Bowl back in 2009. Now, Tomlin is still in his mid-40s and in charge of a Pittsburgh team that always seems to play well when the stakes are high.
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Doug Pederson was a standout QB in college and began assistant coaching at the pro level in 2009. In 2016, he replaced supposed mastermind Chip Kelly as head coach of the Eagles, where he'll try to revitalize a Philadelphia team that's been lacking in recent years.
Sean McDermott spent years working in various capacities with the Eagles before becoming defensive coordinator with the Panthers. Now, he's in his first season with the up-and-down Bills.
In 2006, Payton took on the unenviable task of coaching the bottom-dwelling Saints. A few years later, New Orleans won its first Super Bowl … but has since regressed into frustrating mediocrity.
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Mike Zimmer has specialized in defensive tactics and strategies all his coaching life. In 2014, he rose to the position of head coach with the Vikings, where his success has so far been streaky.
Kyle Shanahan is the son of NFL royalty Mike Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls in Denver. Kyle has his work cut out for him in his first gig as a head coach -- the 49ers stink and are only getting smellier by the day.
Chuck Pagano has spent years of his life specializing in defensive work, notably with the Ravens. In 2012, he took over the Colts head coaching job but has been unable to break through, even with QB Andrew Luck at the helm of his offense.
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Jason Garrett worked his way up the food chain in Dallas to snag the head coaching job in the wake of Wade Philips' firing. Thanks to some fresh young talent, he's blessed with a roster that may help the Cowboys finally start making some noise in the postseason.
Armed with a future Hall of Fame QB named Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy is a lucky man. He's been the Packers head coach since 2006 and has had just one losing season in that span.
John Fox is one of those coaches who is very familiar with the NFL's coaching merry-go-round. He had a good run with Denver but is now stuck trying to fix the hot mess that is Chicago.
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Washington is a pressure cooker that eats coaches alive. Since 2014, Gruden has only one playoff appearance to his credit, meaning that he'll need to show results soon or face the same coaching chopping block as his predecessors.
Pete Carroll narrowly escaped a rule infraction conflagration at USC by scooting off to become the coach at Seattle. He then guided the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title, making him one of just three coaches who have won it all at both the college and pro levels.
Denver is very much in an era of post-Manning transition, and Vance Joseph will somehow have to find a new way forward. He'll have a major challenge trying to beat back the resurgent Chiefs in the AFC West.
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Adam Gase is the coach of the Dolphins, where he took over in 2016. For now, he'll struggle to emerge from under the shadow of the Patriots in the AFC East.
Dirk Koetter had a couple of high-profile coaching jobs in college and now leads Tampa Bay. His roster features some extremely promising young players who may make the Bucs into a real playoff threat.
Does anyone really want the Jets coaching job? Todd Bowles has been giving it his best shot since 2015, but so far his record is below .500 … meaning that he may not be around much longer.
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In 2016, Ben McAdoo succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams in his first season with the Giants, going 11-5 before falling to the Packers in the postseason. In 2017, with his team flailing, he'll be lucky to keep his job.
In 2017, at the tender age of 30, Sean McVay became the youngest coach in modern NFL history when he was hired by the L.A. Rams. But he's from a qualified family -- his grandpa was general manager of the 49ers when that team won five Super Bowl rings.
In Tennessee, Mike Mularkey has a major challenge to make the Titans relevant again. The team is competitive … but has yet to make the playoffs with him at the helm.
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If QB Derek Carr can stay healthy, he'll likely make Jack Del Rio look like a genius. But if Carr continues suffering injuries, it may run Del Rio right out of a job with the Raiders.
Bill O'Brien probably learned a trick or two from Bill Belichick -- he was an assistant coach with the Patriots for years. Now, he's head coach of the Texans and fortunate to be paired with rising star QB Deshaun Watson.
Congratulations, Anthony Lynn, you got your first real head coaching job in 2017! Never mind that it's with the L.A. Chargers and that you're doomed to failure. Maybe your next head coaching gig will have more promise.
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