The Pressure Is On:The Legal Implications Behind Multiple Head Coch Vacancies in the NFL
The ten head coach vacancies going into the 2026 season have been some of the most in a single National Football League (“NFL”) season.[2] While some coaches were let go after shorter tenures – like the Raiders firing head coach Pete Carroll after one season - some teams fired long-term coaches. Notably, the Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh after 18 years.[3] The number of firings that happened this season begs the question of what sort of legal implications surface when a team decides to fire their head coach.
Black Monday
Black Monday, a commonly-known name for the day after the regular NFL season ends, is the most common time for teams to fire coaching staff.[4] However, this year, many teams chose to fire head coaches before Black Monday.[5] The Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons all made the call earlier than what is considered “normal”.[6] Timing aside, firing head coaches is a common occurrence in the NFL.[7] The annual turnover for NFL coaches is around 21%, and the median tenure of an NFL coach is around 3.4 seasons.[8]
Guaranteed Contracts
Given frequent coaching turnover, NFL coaching contracts are effectively guaranteed and include offset clauses, which are different from players’ contracts.[9] Typically, this means when a team decides to fire their head coach, they are still required to pay the salary for the years left in the coach’s contract unless another team hires them.[10] Even then, if their new salary is less than their original salary, the team has to cover some, or all, of that difference.[11] A well-known example of an offset clause in a coaching contract is in 2017, when the San Francisco 49ers were required to pay former head coach Chip Kelly millions of dollars upon termination to supplement his new salary when he signed with the UCLA Bruins.[12]
Duty to Mitigate
When coaches get fired, many have a “duty to mitigate” [LT1] within their contracts, meaning they are obligated to assist in trying to find a replacement.[13] The goal of this duty is to ensure coaches are not just collecting a paycheck. However, this is hard to enforce. It is hard to know exactly what coaches are doing after being fired, and some teams resort to hiring a private investigator to guarantee coaches comply with their duty to mitigate.[14]
With and Without Cause
There are several exceptions to the offset clause, depending on whether the termination was for cause or without cause.[15] If fired without cause, teams are generally obligated to pay the remainder of the contract.[16] That is why most teams try to fire coaches with cause – to avoid paying millions of dollars. This is where the issue of what constitutes cause comes into play.[17] What constitutes whether a firing is with or without cause is simply an issue of breach of contract.[18] Being fired without cause, meaning no breach of contract, typically means the coach is being fired for performance issues rather than off-the-field conduct.[19]
Terry Pegula - owner of the Buffalo Bills - stated that his decision to fire Sean McDermott was based on his worries surrounding McDermott’s ability to lead the Bills through “the fires of failure.” [20] While this insight doesn’t answer the question of what exactly constituted cause for termination in the NFL, it does show that effective leadership is a vital requirement for most team owners when determining the fate of head coaches.
Spots Secured for 2026
Multiple coaches who were let go in the 2025 season have already secured spots for the 2026 season.[21] Namely, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is now set to be the new head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.[22] The former Baltimore Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, was one of the most sought-after coaches this season upon his firing. [23] He was eventually won over by the New York Giants and signed a five-year deal that made Harbaugh one of the highest paid coaches in the NFL.[24] The Raiders have signed Kint Kubiak, the former Seattle Seahawks Offensive Coordinator.[25]
Early Season Team Performance in 2026
So far, Kubiaks' debut has led the Raiders to a strong start in the 2026 season.[26] McCarthy has also shown an upward trend in Steelers' offensive success.[27] Harbaugh has seen a tougher start to the season with starting quarterback Jaxson Dart out for several games.[28] It remains to be seen if these coaching shifts will end up benefiting teams' performance, and if lack of performance will lead to further firings this season.
Julia Bisson (staff writer) is a 2L at Villanova Law from Portland, Maine. She graduated from Bates College with a double major in English and Political Science. At Villanova, she is an Access to Justice Fellow, a member of the Pro Bono Society, First Generation Lawyer society, and plays on an intramural soccer team. Julia enjoys running, hiking, and playing guitar in her free time.
References:
[1] See ksama (April 16, 2022). Upsplash.
[2] See ESPN Staff, 2025 NFL coaching changes: Latest hirings, firings, rumors, ESPN (Feb. 1, 2026). https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46437226/2025-nfl-coaching-changes-latest-news-rumors-firings-hires
[3] See Kyle Stackpole and Kavin Steimle, NFL coaching and GM changes live updates: Who's interviewing where, what we're hearing, what could happen next, CBS Sports (Jan 10, 2026). https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-coach-gm-live-updates-rumors-firings-hirings/live/
[4] See Jack McKessy, Which NFL coaches have been fired? Black Monday 2025, USA Today (Jan 5, 2026). https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2026/01/05/nfl-coaches-fired-black-monday-2026/88030173007/
[5] See Id.
[6] See Id.
[7] See Id.
[8] See Lee Simmons, What Happens When Pro Coaches Get Cut from the Team?, Stanford Business (Oct. 31, 2023). https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/what-happens-when-pro-coaches-get-cut-team
[9] See Andrew Brandt, Business of Football: How Fired Coaches’ Contracts and the End of the NFL Season Work, Sports Illustrated (Jan. 19, 2022). https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/01/19/business-of-football-end-of-season-coaches-fired
[10] See id.
[11] See Thomas Barrabi, NFL Black Monday: Why head coach firings can cost teams for years, Fox Business (Dec. 30, 2019). https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/nfl-black-monday-head-coach-firings-contracts
[12] See Id.
[13] Brandt Supra
[14] See Id.
[15]See Id.
[16] See id.
[17] See Id.
[18] See Id.
[19] See Id.
[20] See Nick Shook, Bills owner Terry Pegula: Decision to fire Sean McDermott based on playoff loss to Broncos, NFL (Jan. 21, 2026). http://nfl.com/news/bills-owner-terry-pegula-decision-to-fire-sean-mcdermott-playoff-loss-broncos-beane
[21] See Christian Gonzales, Steelers to hire Mike McCarthy as next head coach, NFL (Jan. 24, 2026). https://www.nfl.com/news/steelers-plan-to-hire-mike-mccarthy-as-next-head-coach
[22] See Id.
[23] See Ben Collins, NFL head coach tracker - Cardinals hire LaFleur, BBC Sport (Jan. 18, 2026). https://www.bbc.com/sport/american-football/articles/ckgny7zz94jo
[24] See Id.
[25] See Paul Gutierrez, Gutierrez: Klint Kubiak receives warm welcome from legendary cast of 'Raiders Avengers' upon arrival, Raiders News, (Feb. 11, 2026). https://www.raiders.com/news/gutierrez-klint-kubiak-receives-warm-welcome-from-legendary-cast-of-raiders-avengers-upon-arrival-nfl-2026
[26] See Zeke Sanders, How Did NFL First-Year Head Coaches Perform in First Two Weeks? Yahoo! Sports, https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/did-nfl-first-head-coaches-165012109.html
[27] See Tommy Jaggi, Steelers fans caught a glimpse of Mike McCarthy's true offensive potential, Still Curtain, https://stillcurtain.com/pittsburgh-steelers-fans-caught-glimpse-mike-mccarthy-true-offensive-potential-01m3ma1drfy6
[28] See Rex Villas, Giants’ John Harbaugh Goes Back Several Centuries in Honest Assessment of Win With Jameis Winston, Yahoo! Sports, https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/giants-john-harbaugh-goes-back-114405461.html
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