The guillotine falls in the NFL: Browns, Raiders, and Falcons fire Kevin Stefanski, Pete Carroll, and Raheem Morris
After missing the 2025 NFL Playoffs, three teams have fired their head coaches
Kevin Stefanski, Pete Carroll, and Raheem Morris begin the week unemployed after losing their jobs leading their respective franchises. Cleveland, Las Vegas, and Atlanta, respectively. The 2025-2026 NFL regular season has ended, and these teams that missed the playoffs have announced changes in their front office and will be looking for new head coaches for next season.
Cleveland Browns fire Kevin Stefanski after six seasons
The Cleveland Browns announced Monday the firing of head coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons in which he only reached the playoffs twice.
“We are deeply grateful for Kevin's leadership of the Cleveland Browns over the past six seasons. We appreciate all of his work, but our results over the last two seasons have not been satisfactory, and we believe a change at head coach is necessary,” wrote team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam in a statement.
Stefanski, 43, arrived in Cleveland in the 2020 NFL season with the mission of ending a 13-year playoff drought. In his first year, he achieved this with an 11-5 record, although the team fell in the divisional round to the Kansas City Chiefs. That level was only repeated in the 2023 season, when the Browns qualified for the playoffs and were eliminated in the wild card round by the Houston Texans. The rest of his tenure was marked by inconsistency. In 2021, they finished with an 8-9 record, in 2022 it was 7-10, in 2024 they recorded their worst season at 3-14, and in the recently concluded season they finished with a 5-12 record. The Browns confirmed that Andrew Berry will continue as general manager and will lead the search for a new head coach. "Andrew Berry will continue to lead our operations. We are focused on building a team that will give our fans the success they have long deserved."Andrew will immediately begin a thorough process to find an exceptional new coach to lead our team," the owners concluded.
Pete Carroll leaves Raiders; Tom Brady will lead the search for the new coach
For his part, Mark Davis, owner of the Las Vegas Raiders,reported that Pete Carroll is no longer the team's head coach, and that Tom Brady, a minority owner of the franchise, will lead the process to find his replacement.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Pete Carroll of his duties as head coach. General Manager John Spytek will lead football operations in close collaboration with Tom Brady, including the search for the team's next head coach,” Davis announced in a statement. Carroll, 74, failed to turn the Raiders' fortunes around, finishing the season with a 3-14 record, the worst in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. The head coach, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, took over for the 2025 season, but adjustments to his staff didn't yield results. He fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on November 7 and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on November 24, without any improvement in performance. Mark Davis is confident that Tom Brady, the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.a minority owner of the franchise, will lead the process to find his replacement.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Pete Carroll of his duties as head coach. General Manager John Spytek will lead football operations in close collaboration with Tom Brady, including the search for the team's next head coach,” Davis announced in a statement. Carroll, 74, failed to turn the Raiders' fortunes around, finishing the season with a 3-14 record, the worst in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. The head coach, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, took over for the 2025 season, but adjustments to his staff didn't yield results. He fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on November 7 and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on November 24, without any improvement in performance. Mark Davis is confident that Tom Brady, the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.a minority owner of the franchise, will lead the process to find his replacement.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Pete Carroll of his duties as head coach. General Manager John Spytek will lead football operations in close collaboration with Tom Brady, including the search for the team's next head coach,” Davis announced in a statement. Carroll, 74, failed to turn the Raiders' fortunes around, finishing the season with a 3-14 record, the worst in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. The head coach, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, took over for the 2025 season, but adjustments to his staff didn't yield results. He fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on November 7 and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on November 24, without any improvement in performance. Mark Davis is confident that Tom Brady, the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Pete Carroll of his duties as head coach. General Manager John Spytek will lead football operations in close collaboration with Tom Brady, including the search for the team's next head coach,” Davis announced in a statement. Carroll, 74, failed to turn the Raiders' fortunes around, finishing the season with a 3-14 record, the worst in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. The head coach, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, took over for the 2025 season, but adjustments to his staff didn't yield results. He fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on November 7 and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on November 24, without any improvement in performance. Mark Davis is confident that Tom Brady, the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Pete Carroll of his duties as head coach. General Manager John Spytek will lead football operations in close collaboration with Tom Brady, including the search for the team's next head coach,” Davis announced in a statement. Carroll, 74, failed to turn the Raiders' fortunes around, finishing the season with a 3-14 record, the worst in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. The head coach, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, took over for the 2025 season, but adjustments to his staff didn't yield results. He fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on November 7 and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on November 24, without any improvement in performance. Mark Davis is confident that Tom Brady, the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.failed to turn the Raiders' fortunes around, finishing the season with a 3-14 record, the worst in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. The head coach, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, took over for the 2025 season, but adjustments to his staff didn't yield results. He fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on November 7 and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on November 24, without any improvement in performance. Mark Davis is confident that Tom Brady, the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.failed to turn the Raiders' fortunes around, finishing the season with a 3-14 record, the worst in the NFL, tied with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Arizona Cardinals. The head coach, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, took over for the 2025 season, but adjustments to his staff didn't yield results. He fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on November 7 and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on November 24, without any improvement in performance. Mark Davis is confident that Tom Brady, the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.the player with the most Super Bowls in league history, will be key to restoring the franchise's competitiveness. "Brady and Spytek will guide us in the decisions related to this new approach. "They will share their leadership in culture and alignment with our organization's long-term vision and goals," Davis concluded.
Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris and their general manager
The Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday the firing of Raheem Morris as head coach after finishing the season without a playoff berth, despite closing with four consecutive wins.
Although Atlanta beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 in their final game, they finished the season with an 8-9 record, the same losing record they posted for the second consecutive year, which kept them out of the postseason.
It was Morris's second year at the helm. LVI.
At The close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.a period in which he helped them win Super Bowl LVI.
At the close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.a period in which he helped them win Super Bowl LVI.
At the close of the season, the The Falcons had the 21st-ranked offense and the 22nd-ranked defense in the league, placing them as the 11th-best team in the NFL, failing to make the expected leap. The restructuring was total. Terry Fontenot, general manager since 2021, was also fired. Fontenot, 45, He arrived after 17 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, but never managed to solve the franchise's main problem: finding a franchise quarterback. Since Matt Ryan's departure in 2021, the Falcons used Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix, without achieving offensive stability or becoming a true contender. Even the arrival of Kirk Cousins ????last offseason failed to steer Atlanta toward a winning project, which sealed a major overhaul of the organization.