NFL Odds: Mike McCarthy Is Coach Most Likely To Be Fired First

We are still a few weeks away from the start of the NFL season, but there are already a handful of coaches who are a few losses away from termination.

Mike McCarthy Is NFL Head Coach Most Likely To Be Fired First

Mike McCarthy has taken the podium for his first solo #Cowboys TC press conference pic.twitter.com/inzYbngmeK

— Hailey Sutton (@_HaileySutton) July 26, 2023

Matt Rhule was given the honor last year of being the first head coach to be fired during the 2022 season, when he was let go after his Carolina Panthers got out to a 1-4 start. He was joined by Frank Reich and Nathaniel Hackett as lead guys that were let go during the season, and Lovie Smith and Kliff Kingsbury joined them shortly after.

Most of them were guys who had already spent a couple of years on the job. Teams are hesitant to fire first-year head coaches due to the learning curve, and that will be the same for 2023. The worst teams in the league figure to be the Cardinals and Texans, both of which have new coaches whose jobs should be safe for at least a year.

So which coaches are on the hottest seats? BetOnline.Ag has released betting odds for which one will be fired first. Here are a few of the more interesting choices on the board:

3 NFL Coaches With Shortest Odds Of Being Fired First

Mike McCarthy (+600)

One of the coaches tied with the shortest odds in terms of being fired first is Mike McCarthy. His Cowboys have enjoyed 12 win seasons the past two years, but have produced underwhelming results when the playoffs roll around, having lost to the 49ers in back-to-back years.

He’ll apparently be on a short leash this year, according to the oddsmakers. The Cowboys’ dates with the 49ers and Chargers in Weeks 5 and 6 will likely determine McCarthy’s destiny as the team heads into the bye during Week 7.

Todd Bowles (+600)

Tied with McCarthy is Todd Bowles, who will be on the hot seat down in Tampa. The Buccaneers are in something of a rebuild as they will adjust to life without Tom Brady, and they are projected to be one of the worst teams in the league in 2023. Only three of their first 8 games are against playoff teams from a year ago, so Bowles has a chance to save his job. But should the team perform poorly against those lesser opponents, he’ll be as good as gone.

Josh McDaniels (+700)

The McDaniels experiment failed the first time he tried to be a head coach for the Denver Broncos. After going back to his roots with the Patriots, he’s tried his hand again, this time with the Las Vegas Raiders.

McDaniels didn’t get off to a great start, as the Raiders went 6-11 in 2022 and finished in 3rd place in their division. They brought in Jimmy Garoppolo to run the offense this year, and still have Josh Jacobs who they hope will be available at running back. The roster lacks elite talent at many of the other positions, though, which is something that could cost McDaniels his job.

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