2022 NFL Draft: 5 coaches who could be fired before the 2022 NFL Draft

5 coaches who could be fired before the 2022 NFL Draft

The end of the 2021 season is less than 24 hours away for many teams around the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars have already parted ways with Urban Meyer, the Denver Broncos just fired Vic Fangio and despite being in the playoff race, the Las Vegas Raiders will have a coaching decision to make as well, but what other coaching changes could occur before the 2022 NFL Draft?

When it comes to doing mock drafts and talking about the upcoming NFL Draft, the coaching staff makes a difference for how picks can unfold. As it currently stands, there’s a handful of teams that could still see a changing of the guard at the head coaching position and a trickle down effect through the rest of the staff.

Last season, seven head coaching changes were made around the NFL. With three already done this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see an additional five more head coaches let go. Seeing around a fourth of the league’s coaches turnover each season isn’t abnormal and is becoming the norm each year.

The 2020 season saw Bill O’Brien, Dan Quinn, Matt Patricia, Adam Gase, Doug Marrone, Anthony Lynn and Doug Pederson all vacate positions around the league. This year, Urban Meyer and Jon Gruden were the first to join the list during the season with Vic Fangio earlier today and more are sure to follow.

This year could see even more than seven or eight openings before the 2022 NFL Draft. Narrowing the list to just five coaches was a bit difficult. In reality, as many as nine or 10 spots could arguably open up. Each organization is different with how they handle the coaching carousel, but this year could shake the league more than any other season.

With firings sure to come in the coming days, these teams could be on the list of head coaching vacancies entering the 2022 NFL Draft. While some have more of a fighting chance than others, the leash will at least be very short going into next season if they stick around.