2026 NFL Coaching Vacancies, Hirings Impact on Dynasty, Keeper, Redraft Fantasy Football Leagues
The firing of Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan in mid-October was just the tip of the iceberg as to what has become of NFL coaches since the conclusion of Week 18 on Jan. 4.
Joining the Titans are nine other teams that now have an open seat in their head coaching chair. Whether it’s a firing, parting ways, or stepping down, Roto Street Journal is tracking the movement at the position and what it means moving forward for fantasy football.
Editor’s Note: The article is in order by team in chronological order of date fired. Any blanks or “TBA” sections will be updated as the information becomes available.
Tennessee Titans:
Fired: Brian Callahan, Oct. 13, 2025
Hired: Vacant
Why the Titans parted ways: Callahan finished a portion of two seasons with an overall record of 4-19. He led the team to a 3-14 finish in 2024 and a 1-5 finish in 2025. He failed to put a product on the field that showed progression and improvement of rookie Cam Ward, or on either side of the football.
Why the Titans hired ________:
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – TBA
Keeper – TBA
Redraft – TBA
New York Giants:
Fired: Brian Daboll, Nov. 10
Hired: John Harbaugh, Jan. 17
Why the Giants parted ways: The inability to make correct decisions at the quarterback position and to lead the team above .500 after his first season on the job eventually ran out the clock on his tenure. While the players drafted were likely out of his hands, the Giants showed no positive progression with young players.
Why the Giants hired Harbaugh: The long-time Ravens coach will get a restart at a roster centered on youth. Quarterback Jaxson Dart, running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers are one of the most intriguing cores to build a foundation from. Harbaugh, who once had one of the most feared defenses for years, will get to work with Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Abdul Carter. There is a world that sees the 4-13 Giants make the postseason with Harbaugh under the helm. Whatever message was lost in Baltimore will be heavily respected by the youth in New York.
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – You’re likely not looking to get a draft pick for Dart’s poor outlook anymore, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t be successful gathering one because of his future. Dart shows promise, but is he the quarterback for Harbaugh’s systems? I’d wager yes, looking at the success Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson showed, but it isn’t a given. Trading or keeping him is not a wrong answer.
Keeper – Scattebo and Nabers, though lost to injury last season, did not show anything to think they’ll be replaced. Now on a potentially explosive offense, there are worse people to roll the dice on. Much like the Falcons, the Giants’ defensive unit could see weaker division opponents and a favorable schedule overall to be considered in certain weeks.
Redraft – Nabers should be the highest drafted player from this team, going in at least round three. Otherwise, mid rounds for all other positions makes sense.
Atlanta Falcons:
Fired: Raheem Morris, Jan. 4
Hired: Kevin Stefanski, Jan. 17
Why the Falcons parted ways: Atlanta didn’t wait until Black Monday to fire both its head coach and general manager. This was the Falcons’ second 8-9 finish in a row and eighth consecutive losing season overall. Not reaching .500 with as talented of a roster as Atlanta had is unacceptable.
Why the Falcons hired Stefanski: Multiple sources tout Stefanski’s “lead by example” coaching style. New Atlanta President of Football Matt Ryan said his time in Minnesota and Cleveland proves his “understanding of the importance of working in sync with scouting, personnel, and the rest of the football staff to maximize talent across the roster…”
Kirk Cousins/Michael Penix, Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts fill one of the quieter, yet more complete NFL offenses, that Falcons ownership is no doubt looking to maximize.
Stefanski had two 11-win seasons in Cleveland and snapped a 17-year playoff drought, with a win against a division rival.
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – The want to keep Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts should remain.
Robinson (3), London (4) and Pitts (5) have all been at the professional level for five years or less and are 25 years old or younger. Stefanski had success in Cleveland with the Browns’ run game, and the near-even split between Robinson and Tyler Allgeier should not continue. London and Pitts can be a 1-2 punch if coached appropriately.
Keeper – Many of the same reasons for Robinson and London. However, Pitts is not on keeper status. No one else on the roster is worth taking from 2025 to 2026.
Redraft – Robinson should remain a high first-round pick. London has top-three round upside, including in the late second for any kind of PPR format. Keep an eye on the Falcons defensive and special teams unit if your league plays that style, as Stefanski could have them as a sleeper with a middle-of-the-pack 2026 schedule.
Las Vegas Raiders:
Fired: Pete Carroll, Jan. 5
Hired: Vacant
Why the Raiders parted ways: Carroll failed in using familiar faces to build on a franchise with talented players on both sides of the ball, but mainly the offense. Las Vegas saw Carroll and veteran Geno Smith join the franchise one season ago, but that relationship managed a little more than 14 points per game. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was fired during the season, and the offensive line never really recovered or helped rookie stud Ashton Jeanty. The Raiders are embracing a full rebuild after a failed patch-job attempt.
Why the Raiders hired ________:
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – TBA
Keeper – TBA
Redraft – TBA
Cleveland Browns:
Fired: Kevin Stefanski, Jan. 5
Hired: Vacant
Why the Browns parted ways: Stefanski won NFL Coach-of-the-Year twice during his six years in Cleveland, which saw the Browns also win a playoff game. The move feels more botched by ownership than a downfall by the former head coach — who has since been hired. General Manager Andrew Berry, who does not have the most successful track record in player deals and acquisitions in recent years, told ESPN that ownership did not see enough progress to keep Stefanski.
“The Browns’ big swing to solidify the quarterback position during Stefanski’s tenure was trading three first-round picks to the Houston Texans for Deshaun Watson in 2022. They later signed him to a five-year, $230-million fully guaranteed contract before he’d taken a snap with the team,” theScore wrote on the day he was fired.
Why the Browns hired ________:
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – TBA
Keeper – TBA
Redraft – TBA
Arizona Cardinals:
Fired: Jonathan Gannon, Jan. 5
Hired: Vacant
Why the Cardinals parted ways: Gannon and the Cardinals looked to be trending upward following an 8-9 record in the 2024-25 season. However, after Arizona won its first two games this season, the team took a nose-dive off its west coast cliff. Franchise quarterback Kyler Murray (foot) was injured in Week 5 in a horrendous loss to Tennessee and hasn’t played since. Veteran rusher James Conner was lost for most of the season and Marvin Harrison Jr. (appendix) missed more time than expected after his inability to reach full health. Gannon and his staff failed to use the depth to be competitive.
theScore also highlighted national news moments from the season that likely helped the franchise fire Gannon, including Emari Demercado’s dropped football just short of a touchdown against the Titans.
Why the Cardinals hired ________:
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – TBA
Keeper – TBA
Redraft – TBA
Baltimore Ravens:
Fired: John Harbaugh, Jan. 6
Hired: Vacant
Why the Ravens parted ways: On paper, Baltimore is a Super Bowl team. On the field and in the locker room, the message from Harbaugh was lost. Those conditions, paired with numerous fourth-quarter blown leads in many weeks this season, ultimately made Harbaugh’s seat too hot.
Why the Ravens hired ________:
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – TBA
Keeper – TBA
Redraft – TBA
Miami Dolphins:
Fired: Mike McDaniel, Jan. 8
Hired: Jeff Hafley, Jan. 19
Why the Dolphins parted ways: Aside from 2023, Mike McDaniel underperformed with big-name (and big-money) players on both sides of the football. His ability to release the bests of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was a major positive for most of his tenure, but that leash with the former Alabama product also likely contributed to his firing.
While McDaniel was surprisingly spared when the team announced the firing of General Manager Chris Grier in October, many wondered if he’d survive the offseason. Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s contracts have a $108 million cap hit. Tagovailoa was benched for a rookie, and Hill missed 13 games after blowing out his knee. Owner Stephen Ross is tearing it all down, again.
Why the Dolphins hired Hafley: Aside from the already-established connection to new General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, Miami likely was drawn to Green Bay’s discipline on both sides of the ball and in inclement weather. If nothing else, a new mindset could help Miami end its playoff drought for a team that has not won a contest since 2000.
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – Running back De’Von Achane and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle may be the only two offensive weapons Miami can consider building around.
Keeper – Aside from running back Achane, no one on the Dolphins is worth hanging on to. That being said, keeping Tyreek Hill could be beneficial…because he is expected to don his third NFL jersey when Miami releases him ahead of next season. If not for the underwhelming play of quarterback Tagovailoa and Hill’s season-ending injury, Hill would’ve done what he does best. Furthermore, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is likely gone to a new gig and the lack of talent on defense made this unit’s stability short-lived.
Redraft – Achane should go during the end of round one and the beginning of round two. Players who got him toward the start of the third round got a steal. Waddle could go in the sixth, but even that seems high. Wide receiver is the most available option in fantasy and waiting on the position is a successful strategy. Finally, keep an eye on the kicker position. Jason Sanders was expected to only miss four weeks, but ended up missing the season. Riley Patterson was better than 95% and missed only three kicks during the season. You can get him in the last round for a steal.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Fired: Mike Tomlin, Jan. 13
Hired: Vacant
Why the Steelers parted ways: Mike Tomlin never had a losing season during his 19 years in Pittsburgh. However, Tomlin and his team had gone stagnant, failing to win a playoff game since 2017 and are 3-9 in their last 12 playoff games. Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement following the 2021 season, the Steelers have not found a consistent quarterback, Tomlin and the team have not been able to retain signal callers and the offense has taken multiple steps backward.
Why the Steelers hired ________:
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – TBA
Keeper – TBA
Redraft – TBA
Buffalo Bills:
Fired: Sean McDermott, Jan. 19
Hired: Vacant
Why the Bills parted ways: Despite being a league MVP, quarterback Josh Allen has zero First Team All Pros and zero Super Bowl wins in his eight-year career. Despite Buffalo struggling to put weapons and help around Allen, McDermott has been the Bills’ head coach for Allen’s entire career to this point. The team has not been able to reach a Super Bowl, falling to Kansas City often, and still failing to advance this season despite powerhouses such as the Chiefs and Baltimore not reaching the postseason.
Why the Bills hired ________:
Fantasy Outlook:
Dynasty – TBA
Keeper – TBA
Redraft – TBA
