Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has earned a reputation for being extremely patient with his head coaches, contrary to popular belief. Since Jason Garrett took over after Wade Phillips’ midseason firing in 2010, Garrett and Mike McCarthy have been the only two head coaches in Dallas. Despite the Cowboys’ consistent playoff flameouts, Jones has only fired a coach once in 14 years.

However, this doesn’t mean McCarthy has a job for life. At some point, he needs to deliver more success in the playoffs, or Jones will be forced to make a change. So, is McCarthy one of the five coaches on the hot seat entering the NFL season?

Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys

By halftime of the wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers last season, it was clear the Cowboys were headed for defeat, trailing 27-7. The only question was whether it would be McCarthy’s last game. Despite the consensus that McCarthy would be fired, Jones retained him after the team’s third straight 12-5 season.

Jones explained that it was a fairly quick decision, saying, “This is not a ‘talk yourself into it.’ … It obviously gives you a lot of things to consider and think about. Everybody has options. This is one I’m very comfortable with. I felt good during the year with the job that Mike was doing. The team was responding well. We were all disappointed that we didn’t win that Green Bay game. We had visions of a lot better than that, we all did. But there are things there that we can take forward.”

Despite being 42-25 over his four Cowboys seasons, McCarthy’s job security is uncertain. If the Cowboys fail to reach the Super Bowl, speculation about his future will resurface. It’s fair to say he’s on the hot seat.

Other coaches who find themselves in a similar situation include:

Saleh, who had a great excuse last season when the Jets went 7-10 after Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury on the first drive of the season. However, with Rodgers now 41 years old, the Jets are all in on him this season, and if they don’t make the playoffs, wholesale changes, including at head coach, are likely.

Pederson, who fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell after the Jaguars’ collapse late in the season. If the Jaguars have another losing record, Pederson could be in trouble.

Daboll, who had a horrible 6-11 season and whose hot-tempered ways seem to be running thin. Another double-digit loss season could put his job in jeopardy.

Sirianni, who had a miserable finish to last season, losing six of seven, including a listless playoff loss on wild-card weekend. He can’t afford a slow start, or he could be the first coach fired this season.

Eberflus, who saved his job after a 2-7 start last season, but the Bears won’t be endlessly patient with another slow start. The development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is crucial, especially while he’s on his rookie deal.

Allen, who has been mediocre in two seasons with the Saints, going 16-18. At some point, the Saints are going to want something more than a middle-of-the-pack finish in a bad division. If the Saints finish around .500 again, we’ll see if that’s enough to buy Allen a fourth season.