Which NFL GMs are on the hot seat? Four roster architects who are feeling the heat

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We’re nearly two-thirds of the way through the NFL season, and for the most part, the focus is where it should be: on the field. But the results on the field can also affect things off the field, specifically when it comes to the job security of the people tasked with putting together the rosters that actually go out there and play each week: the general managers. 

With that in mind, we here at CBS Sports assembled a panel of experts and had them rate each general manager’s job security on a scale of 1-5, with 1 meaning “safe and secure,” 2 meaning “all good … for now,” 3 meaning “pressure is mounting,” 4 meaning “start improving now” and 5 meaning “as good as fired.” 

We then averaged the ratings from all of our panelists and separated the hot seat rankings into tiers, which you can see below. We should note that these ratings apply to the job security they actually have, not the job security they should have, which is why you’ll find Jerry Jones with a perfect 1.00 rating. He will never fire himself, so his job is perfectly secure. 

Without further ado…

Current snapshot: We have an incredible 11 general managers in our “perfectly safe” tier, where our panel of experts feel they have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to their current job status, as they received a “1” vote from every panelist. That’s more than a third of the league.There are also 11 general managers in the “not much to worry about” tier, where they received an average rating of between 1.01 and 2.00, indicating that their job is very safe but perhaps not quite bulletproof. There are five general managers in the “radar is up” tier, where they received an average rating of between 2.01 and 3.00, indicating that they may not be quite so safe in the near future, but aren’t yet in danger of being fired any time soon.And there are four general managers in our “maybe have a bag packed” tier, receiving ratings between 3.01 and 4.00, indicating that it may not be all that long before they lose their job, but they’re not quite in “getting fired tomorrow” range.There are zero general managers in our “your time is up” tier, receiving ratings between 4.01 and 5.00, indicating that they could lose their job imminently. 

The tables below are tiered in order of hot seat rating. Teams with the same rating are listed in alphabetical order. The Miami Dolphins, who have already fired general manager Chris Grier, are not included in the list.

Tier 1: Perfectly safe Tier 2: Not much to worry about Tier 3: Radar is up Tier 4: Maybe have a bag packed Big-picture takeawaysSaints general manager Mickey Loomis rates in our second tier here despite the fact that the Saints are annually in salary cap hell and over the last few seasons have been one of the worst teams in the NFL. That’s because Saints owner Gayle Benson has been staunchly supporting of Loomis, even throwing her weight behind him last week and saying that he’s not going anywhere, any time soon. So even if it seems like his seat should be hotter based on the results and the way the team operates, the reality is that it isn’t. Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot’s handling of the quarterback position is probably what has him so high on this list. The Falcons handed Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guarantees during the 2024 offseason, then drafted Michael Penix Jr. a month and a half later. Cousins looked like one of the league’s worst starting quarterbacks last season and lost his job to Penix, who has struggled both with his performance and with injuries this season. Investing that much in the quarterback position without coming away with a surefire answer is liable to put your job in jeopardy.Browns general manager Andrew Berry has the hottest seat in the league, per our ratings, but it’s hard to know if he’s really in danger of losing his job. The Browns might part ways with head coach Kevin Stefanski instead, and allow Berry to continue trying to build out the team. But the brain trust that made the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade and which has failed to put a competitive offense on the field to complement the Myles Garrett-led defense probably has to come under question at some point.