When it comes to NFL coaches, confidence is a job requirement. But sometimes that healthy self-belief crosses a line into full-blown entitlement, where it feels like the whole league should bow at their feet just because they showed up.
Some coaches acted like legends before winning anything; others thought their rings gave them a lifetime free pass. Either way, these are the 15 most entitled coaches in NFL history, ranked from “kind of annoying” to “someone take away his headset immediately.”
15. Chip Kelly
Chip Kelly rolled into the NFL acting like he had reinvented football itself. Spoiler alert: NFL defenses caught on quickly, and Chip’s vibe never recovered.
14. Adam Gase
Adam Gase carried himself like a genius mastermind despite his team setting the offense back a decade. He got job interviews after everyone else thought it was a bad idea.
13. Mike Martz
Mike Martz thought he was smarter than every defensive coordinator combined. Unfortunately, his ego stayed around long after his offense stopped terrifying people.
12. Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels showed up in Denver and immediately acted like Bill Belichick Jr. Then he traded away good players, made questionable draft picks, and flamed out spectacularly.
11. Rex Ryan
Rex Ryan talked about winning Super Bowls as a casual weekend hobby. The only problem was that his team peaked at almost getting there but never finished the job.
10. Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer thought coaching in the NFL would be as easy as bossing around unpaid college kids. Reality hit fast and was about as ugly as you could imagine.
9. Jason Garrett
Jason Garrett walked around for years like he was some coaching savant, despite clapping being his main contribution on the sidelines. Being the Cowboys’ head coach made his leash endless, even as mediocrity became the norm.
8. Jon Gruden
Jon Gruden acted like the most intelligent guy in the room, based chiefly on winning one Super Bowl with Tony Dungy’s team. His massive coaching comeback deal with the Raiders only fueled the entitled fire.
7. Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh always carries himself like an NFL prophet sent from the football gods. Intensity is fine, but even the players seem exhausted by the “everything is life or death” energy after a while.
6. Brian Billick
Brian Billick loved to tell everyone how brilliant he was, even though his only Super Bowl came on the back of arguably the most excellent defense ever. Offensive genius status? Let’s say it didn’t translate after 2000.
5. Buddy Ryan
Buddy Ryan acted like his defensive dominance gave him immunity from every other part of the job. However, his stubbornness and “my way or the highway” attitude eventually wore thin, no matter how much players loved him.
4. Bill O’Brien
Bill O’Brien thought he was smarter than everyone in the room, which is why he made himself the Texans’ coach, GM, and general destroyer of hope. His trades alone should be studied in front offices as cautionary tales for the next hundred years.
3. Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer inherited a juggernaut and acted like he built the empire brick by brick. Riding Jimmy Johnson’s coattails to a Super Bowl win didn’t help curb the vibe.
2. Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson had the rings to back up some of his swagger, but he was so convinced of his greatness that it made working with him nearly impossible. If you crossed Jimmy, you were out faster than you could say “How ’bout them Cowboys?”
Read More: Ranking the 10 Most Cynical NFL Coaches of All Time
1. Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick might be the greatest coach ever, but let’s not pretend entitlement wasn’t baked into his DNA. From refusing to smile to acting like simple questions were personal insults, Belichick defined coaching entitlement like no one else ever has.
Read More: 10 NFL Quarterbacks Who Thought Every Defense Feared Him
