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As the NFL coaching search has ended, it’s now time to find the worst coaches in history for each team.
Arizona: Bud Wilkinson
Credit: Getty ImagesArizona: Bud Wilkinson
Overall Record: 9-20 Best Season: 6-10 (1978); Worst Season: 3-10 (1979) A coaching legend at Oklahoma, Wilkinson wasn't able to recreate that magic with the Cardinals after 15 seasons away from the game. He lasted less than two seasons and had the unenviable task of replacing Don Coryell, who is perhaps the best coach in Cardinals history.
Atlanta: Bobby Petrino
Credit: Getty ImagesAtlanta: Bobby Petrino
Overall Record: 3-10 Best Season: 3-10 (2007); Worst Season: 3-10 (2007) As bad as Wilkinson was in St. Louis, Petrino was even worse in Atlanta. After 13 games, Petrino left Atlanta for the Arkansas Razorbacks and infamously put hand-written notes in each player's locker after his departure. He is by far the biggest college coaching flop in NFL history.
Baltimore Ravens: Ted Marchibroda
Credit: Getty ImagesBaltimore Ravens: Ted Marchibroda
Overall Record: 16-31 Best Season: 6-9-1 (1997); Worst Season: 4-12 (1996) Marchibroda was a great coach in the NFL, but considering that Brian Billick and John Harbaugh were Super Bowl champions, Marchibroda makes this list. He did, however, draft Ray Lewis and Jonathan Ogden -- two of the greatest players franchise history.
Buffalo: Kay Stephenson
Credit: Getty ImagesBuffalo: Kay Stephenson
Overall Record: 10-26 Best Season: 8-8 (1983); Worst Season: 2-14 (1984) Stephenson had to replace Chuck Knox, who reached multiple postseasons with the Bills, but couldn't repeat that success in two-plus seasons. After an 8-8 first season in 1983, Stephenson won only two of his final 18 games and was fired.
Carolina: George Seifert
Credit: Getty ImagesCarolina: George Seifert
Overall Record: 16-32 Best Season: 8-8 (1999); Worst Season: 1-15 (2001) Seifert is a Hall-of-Fame caliber coach, and may already be in Canton if not for a horrendous stint in Carolina. After a decent first season, Seifert's team was progressively worse, culminating with a 15-game losing streak in 2001 that ended his tenure.
Chicago: Marc Trestman
Credit: Getty ImagesChicago: Marc Trestman
Overall Record: 13-19 Best Season: 8-8 (2013); Worst Season: 5-11 (2014) After a solid 8-8 season in 2013, Trestman's Bears had one of their worst seasons in recent memory in 2014. The defense was atrocious, and Jay Cutler was, well, Jay Cutler. He is now the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
Cincinnati: David Shula
Credit: Getty ImagesCincinnati: David Shula
Overall Record: 19-52 Best Season: 7-9 (1995); Worst Season: 3-13 (1993) In the modern era, Shula's .268 winning percentage is the worst of any head coach with at least 50 games. That ought to say enough about his reign in Cincinnati.
Cleveland: Rob Chudzinski
Credit: Getty ImagesCleveland: Rob Chudzinski
Overall Record: 4-12 (2013) Best Season: 4-12 (2013); Worst Season: 4-12 (2013) After elevating Cam Newton to Pro Bowl status in his rookie season with the Carolina Panthers, Rob Chudzinski was hired to coach the Browns, and like many coaches before him, he was a complete failure. Despite having six Pro Bowl players, the Browns finished 4-12 and Chudzinski was fired after one season.
Dallas: Dave Campo
Credit: Getty ImagesDallas: Dave Campo
Overall Record: 15-33 Best Season: 5-11 (2000); Worst Season: 5-11 (2002) Campo is the only Cowboys head coach with a sub-.500 coaching record. He had three consecutive 5-11 seasons and lost to the expansion Houston Texans in their first-ever game. Enough said.
Denver: Josh McDaniels
Credit: Getty ImagesDenver: Josh McDaniels
Overall Record: 11-17 Best Season: 8-8 (2009); Worst Season: 3-9 (2010) Before coaching a game for the Broncos, Josh McDaniels traded Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago and drafted Tim Tebow in the first-round in 2010. A year later, he traded Brandon Marshall to Miami. In his first season, McDaniels started 6-0, but finished with just five wins in his final 22 games.
Detroit: Rod Marinelli
Credit: Getty ImagesDetroit: Rod Marinelli
Overall Record: 10-38 Best Season: 7-9 (2007); Worst Season: 0-16 (2008) The Lions have had many terrible coaches over the years, but Marinelli takes the cake. His 2008 Lions team went 0-16. Enough said.
Green Bay: Phil Bengtson
Credit: Getty ImagesGreen Bay: Phil Bengtson
Overall Record: 20-21-1 Best Season: 8-6 (1968); Worst Season: 6-8 (1969) Bengtson had the unenviable task of replacing Vince Lombardi in Green Bay, and nothing he did worked. He was mediocre over three seasons, but because there aren't many bad coaches in Packers history, Bengtson gets the nod here.
Houston: Dom Capers
Credit: Getty ImagesHouston: Dom Capers
Overall Record: 18-46 Best Season: 7-9 (2004); Worst Season: 2-14 (2005) Although Dom Capers took over an expansion team, he is the only coach in the Texans' brief history that didn't record a winning season. Capers was great as an expansion coach for Carolina, but he couldn't replicate that success in Houston.
Indianapolis: Frank Kush
Credit: Getty ImagesIndianapolis: Frank Kush
Overall Record: 11-28 Best Season: 7-9 (1983); Worst Season: 0-8-1 (1982) When Frank Kush joined the Colts in 1982, they were a complete mess. The team squandered a high draft choice by selecting Art Schlichter, then botched the John Elway selection by trading him to Denver. The Colts left Baltimore for Indianapolis soon after. Still, Kush went winless as a rookie in 1982.
Jacksonville: Mike Mularkey
Credit: Getty ImagesJacksonville: Mike Mularkey
Overall Record: 2-14 Best Season: 2-14 (2012); Worst Season: 2-14 (2012) The Jaguars have only had five coaches, but Mularkey was by far the worst. In 2012, he led the Jaguars to just a 2-14 record and was fired after one season. He is now the head coach for the Tennessee Titans.
Kansas City: Romeo Crennel
Credit: Getty ImagesKansas City: Romeo Crennel
Overall Record: 4-15 Best Season: 2-1 (2011 Interim); Worst Season: 2-14 (2012) After a 2-1 finish as interim coach at the end of the 2011 season, Romeo Crennel was named as the Chiefs head coach, but it was a disaster. Crennel's Chiefs went 2-14 and he was fired and replaced by Andy Reid.
Miami: Nick Saban
Credit: Getty ImagesMiami: Nick Saban
Overall Record: 15-17 Best Season: 9-7 (2005); Worst Season: 6-10 (2006) After winning a National Championship at LSU, Nick Saban took his talents to South Beach in 2005, then proceeded to become one of the most despised people in Dolphins history. Saban had two okay seasons, but he jumped to Alabama and publicly saying that he was not interested in the Alabama job.
Minnesota: Les Steckel
Credit: Getty ImagesMinnesota: Les Steckel
Overall Record: 3-13 Best Season: 3-13 (1984); Worst Season: 3-13 (1984) After taking over for the legendary Bud Grant, Steckel posted the worst record in nearly a quarter-century for any Vikings team and lasted just one season. Steckel was replaced by Grant, and is the only Vikings coach outside of Norm Van Brocklin that has not reached the postseason.
New England: Rod Rust
Credit: Getty ImagesNew England: Rod Rust
Overall Record: 1-15 Best Season: 1-15 (1990); Worst Season: 1-15 (1990) In his lone season with the Patriots, Rust went just 1-15, and lone win was a 16-14 decision against Indianapolis. He was bounced in favor of Dick MacPherson, who didn't fare any better.
New Orleans: Mike Ditka
Credit: Getty ImagesNew Orleans: Mike Ditka
Overall Record: 15-33 Best Season: 6-10 (1997); Worst Season: 3-13 (1999) Trading away an entire draft class is part of Mike Ditka's terrible legacy in New Orleans, as is his poor overall record. Ricky Williams wasn't good enough to save his job, and after a 3-13 season in 1999, Ditka was gone for good.
New York Giants: Bill Arnsparger
Credit: Getty ImagesNew York Giants: Bill Arnsparger
Overall Record: 7-28 Best Season: 5-9 (1975); Worst Season: 0-7 (1976) Arnsparger was the defensive coordinator for Miami's back-to-back Super Bowl champions in the 1970s, but that didn't translate well to New York. The Giants, as you can see, won only seven games in a three-year span, He was the classic example of a coordinator who would never succeed as a coach.
New York Jets: Lou Holtz
Credit: Getty ImagesNew York Jets: Lou Holtz
Overall Record: 3-10 Best Season: 3-10 (1976); Worst Season: 3-10 (1976) Holtz is the only college football coach to lead six different programs to bowl games, but his lone season in the NFL was one to forget. In 1976, Holtz finished 3-10 and jumped ship with one game remaining.
Oakland: Lane Kiffin
Credit: Getty ImagesOakland: Lane Kiffin
Overall Record: 5-15 Best Season: 4-12 (2007); Worst Season: 1-3 (2008) Lane Kiffin hasn't endeared himself to many fan bases across the country, but it all started with the Oakland Raiders. After one subpar season, Kiffin was fired by Al Davis on the telephone and Davis called him a "a flat-out liar."
Philadelphia: Joe Kuharich
Philadelphia: Joe Kuharich
Overall Record: 28-41-1 Best Season: 9-5 (1966); Worst Season: 2-12 (1968) Before coaching a game for the Philadelphia Eagles, Joe Kuharich was given a 15-year contract and was both the head coach and general manager. That combination didn't work. The Eagles were just 28-41-1 under Kuharich, including a 1-13 finish in 1969.
Pittsburgh: Bill Austin
Credit: Getty ImagesPittsburgh: Bill Austin
Overall Record: 11-28-3 Best Season: 5-8-1 (1966); Worst Season: 2-11-1 (1968) Like Bengtson, Austin was an assistant under Vince Lombardi who failed to succeed as a head coach. In three seasons, Austin never recorded a winning season, but on the bright side, Austin was replaced by Chuck Noll following the 1968 season.
San Diego: Kevin Gilbride
Credit: Getty ImagesSan Diego: Kevin Gilbride
Overall Record: 6-16 Best Season: 4-12 (1997); Worst Season: 2-4 (1998) Kevin Gilbride was a great offensive mind, but none of that was on display in San Diego. Gilbride will officially go down as the coach who selected Ryan Leaf, one of the biggest busts in NFL history. After a 2-14 campaign in Leaf's rookie season, Gilbride was canned in favor of Mike Riley.
San Francisco: Mike Singletary
Credit: Getty ImagesSan Francisco: Mike Singletary
Overall Record: 18-22 Best Season: 5-4 (2008); Worst Season: 5-10 (2010) Jim Harbaugh guided the 49ers to three NFC Championship games in four seasons from 2011-14, but most of those players were Mike Singletary's. The former Hall-of-Fame linebacker had no control of the team and underachieved with players like Patrick Willis, Mike Iupati and many others.
Seattle: Jim Mora Jr.
Credit: Getty ImagesSeattle: Jim Mora Jr.
Overall Record: 5-11 Best Season: 5-11 (2009); Worst Season: 5-11 (2009) Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll have given Seahawks fans plenty of great football over the years, but the 2009 team, led by Jim Mora, was one to forget. Mora signed a five-year contract before the 2009 season, but lasted just one season before getting fired. He is now the head coach at UCLA.
St. Louis: Steve Spagnuolo
Credit: Getty ImagesSt. Louis: Steve Spagnuolo
Overall Record: 10-38 Best Season: 7-9 (2010); Worst Season: 1-15 (2009) Steve Spagnuolo inherited a mess in St. Louis and he couldn't dig the Rams out of it. After a disastrous 1-15 first season, the Rams almost made the playoffs in 2010. A 2-14 finish in 2011 cost him his job. He is now the defensive coordinator for the Giants.
Tampa Bay: Greg Schiano
Credit: Getty ImagesTampa Bay: Greg Schiano
Overall Record: 11-21 Best Season: 7-9 (2012); Worst Season: 4-12 (2013) Like many coaches on this list, Greg Schiano couldn't successfully shift from college to the pros. Schiano blackballed Pro Bowl QB Josh Freeman and grossly misused Darrelle Revis in his only season in Tampa Bay. Nobody was sad to see him go.
Tennessee: Bill Peterson
Credit: Getty ImagesTennessee: Bill Peterson
Overall Record: 1-18 Best Season: 1-13 (1972); Worst Season: 0-5 (1973) Although he was a legend at Florida State, Bill Peterson was a disaster in the NFL. The one win in 19 games cements his status on this list.
Washington: Steve Spurrier
Credit: Getty ImagesWashington: Steve Spurrier
Overall Record: 12-20 Best Season: 7-9 (2002); Worst Season: 5-11 (2003) Steve Spurrier is a legend in the college ranks, but his NFL experience was less than memorable. Despite his five-year, $25 million contract, Spurrier resigned following his second season and left for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
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