Jay Gruden leads the way among NFL coaches on the hot seat entering the upcoming season.
After guiding the Washington Redskins to losing records in each of the past two years, Gruden has emerged as the early favourite to be the first head coach fired this season at +300 odds on the NFL betting props at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
During Gruden’s five seasons at the helm, Washington has extended a playoff drought that has seen the team post just three playoff victories since their Super Bowl win in 1992.
Winners of just two of their final nine games on their way to a second-straight 7-9 record last season, the Redskins again face low expectations and sport short -650 odds at online betting sites of missing the playoffs for the 10th time in 12 years. Washington starts Week 1 with a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
New York Giants bench boss Pat Shurmur sits second to Gruden as a +700 wager to be fired first this season, ahead of Detroit’s Matt Patricia at +1000, while Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn joins Houston’s Bill O’Brien at +1200.
Like the division-rival Redskins, the Giants have been a fixture outside the NFL playoff picture in recent years, reaching the post-season just once since their victory at Super Bowl XLVI. The arrival of Shurmur last season failed to pay dividends, with the squad stumbling to a 5-11 finish and their fifth losing season in six years.
The off-season departure of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., in a trade with the Cleveland Browns failed to inspire confidence among the Giants faithful, while questions remain as to how much quarterback Eli Manning has left in the tank as he enters his 16th NFL campaign.
Patricia arrived in the Motor City amid fanfare last season after winning three Super Bowl titles working under New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. However, reality quickly set in as the Lions lost seven of their final 10 contests to finish the season with a 6-10 record.
The Lions look to the new season as a -110 bet on the NFL odds to win over 7.0 games in 2019, but will likely need a fast start to take the pressure off their beleaguered coach.
Quinn finds himself on the bubble after the Falcons were a dismal 7-9 last season. O’Brien has guided Houston to AFC South titles in three of the past four seasons but the recent sudden firing of Texans general manager Brian Gaine has placed O’Brien squarely on the bubble entering the upcoming season.
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