Tony Dungy Is Not Happy With Two NFL Head Coaching Firings

01/08/2025 03:39 PM

Tony Dungy knows just how long it can take to win a Super Bowl in the NFL — even with great coaching.

While team success came fast for him as a player when he signed with Chuck Noll and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the tail end of their dynasty, it took the Hall of Famer over a decade as a head coach to win his first and only championship.

And after seeing teams move off of coaches like Jerod Mayo and Antonio Pierce after only one season, Dungy couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"I'm just so sad at New England and the Las Vegas Raiders. You pick coaches and after one year you say, 'Well, I guess I was wrong.' I don't know, but we're in this impatient portal, I guess, and I want success right away and I want to see results," Dungy told OutKick's Dan Dakich.

"My coach at Pittsburgh, Chuck Noll, I think was the best coach ever," the 69-year-old continued. "He was 1-13 his first year. I played for Bill Walsh his first year. After we won the Super Bowl [with the Steelers], I got traded to the Niners. We were 2-14. And today, these coaches wouldn't survive. But that's seven Super Bowls."

Dungy also sounded off on the New York Jets and their dysfunction over the past number of years. Arguing that they've gone about things the wrong way for a long time now.

"Well, again, the Jets to me are a dysfunctional franchise," he explained. "I was disappointed when they let Robert Saleh go. They were 2-3, you're right in the middle of the playoff race you get rid of your coach. How do you think that's going to make you better?"

"That's not how you win," Dungy concluded. "Yes, you want your star to be happy. You want [Aaron Rodgers] to be comfortable. But, as you say, you still have to be in charge, not the player."

Related: Bill Belichick Makes Decision On UNC Job Amid NFL Interest