First Head Coach Fired in the 2017 NFL Season
By Loot, NFL Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Betting on who the first NFL head coach to be fired is an interesting wager with a lot to take into consideration. There are a lot of factors to take into account—more than what it seems on the surface. In other words, it's not just about identifying which teams will be bad or which teams will struggle and not live up to expectations. Among some of the things we need to take into account are contracts, the front office's tendency to fire coaches midseason, expectations, and any number of other factors that determine whether a coach gets canned in the middle of the season.
Be that as it may, a head coach on an awful team is always a worthwhile candidate. A team keeps losing and losing and before long, the shoe drops if no improvement is seen. Then you have teams that have shown promise, but stumbled on hard times last season, heightening the urgency of a front office to not see things continue going in a bad direction. A coach in that position is atop the odds this season, with Todd Bowles the favorite after winning ten games in 2015 and falling off in 2016.
So basically, we're looking for teams with coaches who have been on the job for at least a few years. Beyond that, we're looking for a coach that is struggling to gain a foothold and things just aren't getting better. It helps if there were a bunch of offseason moves designed to improve a team and those moves fall flat. We are also looking for a team where the expectations are higher than before, but the team just doesn't get better. Last season, the firing of Gus Bradley fits this mold. It seemed like for the past few seasons, the Jags were supposed to get better and they never did.
Here, we will show you the odds for the first coach to get fired. Following that will be our top choices to be the first NFL head coach to get fired in the 2017 regular season. Take a look:
Betting Odds on First NFL Head Coach to be Fired
Todd Bowles is next head coach fired +320
Hue Jackson is next head coach fired +525
John Fox is next head coach fired +700
Jim Caldwell is next head coach fired +1050
Chuck Pagano is next head coach fired +900
Bill O'Brien is next head coach fired +1200
Marvin Lewis is next head coach fired +1200
Sean Payton is next head coach fired +1400
Adam Gase is next head coach fired +1500
Ben McAdoo is next head coach fired +1700
Mike McCarthy is next head coach fired +2300
Mike Zimmer is next head coach fired +2300
Mike Mularkey is next head coach fired +2300
Dan Quinn is next head coach fired +2300
Sean McDermott is next head coach fired +2700
Doug Marrone is next head coach fired +2800
Doug Pederson is next head coach fired +2800
Jay Gruden is next head coach fired +1800
Ron Rivera is next head coach fired +3300
Sean McVay is next head coach fired +3300
Jason Garrett is next head coach fired +3300
Dirk Koetter is next head coach fired +3300
Vance Joseph is next head coach fired +5500
Anthony Lynn is next head coach fired +5500
Bruce Arians is next head coach fired +5500
Jack Del Rio is next head coach fired +5500
John Harbaugh is next head coach fired +5500
Mike Tomlin is next head coach fired +5500
Kyle Shanahan is next head coach fired +7500
Reid is next head coach fired +8500
Pete Carroll is next head coach fired +15000
Bill Belichick is next head coach fired +50000
Our Best Choices:
Todd Bowles (+320): After winning 10 games in 2015, the Jets were pretty awful last season. Bowles was able to avoid getting axed and gets one more shot to get things on the right track. With abundant personnel issues and minimal cause for optimism, it would seem the stars are lining up well for Bowles to get the boot at some point this season.
John Fox (+700): The Bears spent a lot of money in the offseason and the expectations are that they won't again be awful. But it's not totally clear how the Bears are going to avoid another subpar season, which seems like a likely outcome for the 2017 season. If things get off to a particularly bad start, Fox could find himself out of a job before the season concludes.
Chuck Pagano (+900): One can sense that the time is now for Pagano and the Colts. After three straight 11-5 seasons, the Colts are coming off two straight 8-8 seasons. With some moves made on defense and a healthier offense, the Colts will need to show some improvement or the front office could tire of the mediocrity and let Pagano go.
Marvin Lewis (+1200): On one hand, he has gotten the Bengals to the playoffs a bunch of times. Then again, he never won a playoff game and is coming off a rough season at 6-9-1. It's hard to bet on a guy who is in his 14th season to get canned midseason, as one could imagine the Bengals waiting until the end of the season if things don't work out. Still, if the Bengals stumble out of the blocks this season, it's a possibility.
BET ON WHO WILL BE THE FIRST NFL HEAD COACH TO BE FIRED AT DISCOUNTED ODDS -105 TODAY AT 5DIMES
Sean Payton (+1400): Another longtime coach where it's hard to imagine a midseason firing. Still, with all the offseason moves and on the heels of three straight 7-win seasons, one can imagine the Saints' front office might not be that thrilled if all the changes don't take hold and the Saints struggle.
Bruce Arians (+5500): On this one, we went with a value play with Arians going off at 55-to-1. After a nice run of success where the Cardinals won 24 games from 2014-15, the Cardinals sunk to 7-8-1 in 2016. Should the Cardinals stink it up to open the 2017 season, Arians could conceivably be in the hot seat. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today and make NFL prop bets by signing up at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 50% sign-up bonus!
