If Dan Quinn’s career as an NFL head coach can be defined by anything to this point, it’s massive success followed by massive meltdowns on the field and on the biggest scales we can imagine.
Quinn’s first stop as a head coach, with the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020, was defined by blowing a 28-3 lead midway through the third quarter against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI on the way to a 34-28 loss by the Falcons — the greatest comeback in NFL history.
In his first season as the head coach of the Washington Commanders in 2024, Quinn led one of the more surprising turnarounds in NFL history when he rode rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to a 12-5 regular season finish and the franchise’s first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991 just one year after going 4-13 in 2023.
Headed into 2025 as Super Bowl contenders, the Commanders have been the NFL’s most disappointing team this season and are 4-12 headed into the Week 18 regular season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Even worse than that, Quinn has looked objectively lost on the sideline, his team has looked overwhelmed and underprepared and its led to questions about his job security after just 2 seasons — and just one year after his team was the toast of the NFL.
Report: Commanders Will Bring Back Quinn in 2026
According to a report from The Athletic’s Diana Russini, the Commanders will bring Quinn back in 2026 but there will be changes on the coaching staff around him.
Most NFL head coaches can buy themselves another year on the sideline by canning their coordinators or assistant coaches, even though the ultimate fate of the team should always rest on the shoulders of the head coach.
“Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is expected back for the 2026 season, though coaching changes on both sides of the ball remain possible after Washington’s season fell short of preseason expectations,” Russini wrote on X on Saturday, January 3
Most notably, Quinn took play calling duties away from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt in November.
In another twist, Russini reported offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s job might not even be safe as he prepares for what will likely be a round of interviews for head coach openings around the NFL.
” … Washington has also had conversations about potentially moving on from Kingsbury even if he doesn’t get a head-coaching job,” Russini wrote. “Some in the building say there’s been a disconnect between Kingsbury and general manager Adam Peters. When was the last time we were watching to see if an offensive coordinator was going to get fired while he was also preparing for head coaching interviews? We’ll see how this shakes out.”
Peters Shouldn’t Be Without Blame
If Commanders ownership is truly taking a hard look at what went wrong in 2025, they should take a long look at Peters as well.
The second year general manager was behind one of the worst free agent signings in the 2025 cycle with defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw getting a 3-year, $45 million contract.
Kinlaw was a first round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, when Peters worked there, and he’s been a massive bust in his first year with Washington; 39 tackles, zero sacks and just 3 QB hits in 16 games.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Commanders Make Major Decision on Future of HC Dan Quinn appeared first on Heavy Sports.