NFL history isn’t only defined by champions and dynasties. It also includes head coaches whose careers stretched long enough for defeats to accumulate, numbers shaped by years on the sideline rather than brief or isolated failures.
In many cases, those records grew during extended rebuilds, unstable ownership periods, or eras when talent gaps were impossible to close quickly. The losses accumulated season after season, often masking the complexity behind them.
This side of the league’s history reveals how longevity can exist without success. It traces careers built on persistence, circumstance and difficult assignments, offering a quieter but revealing portrait of life on an NFL sideline.
Who are the coaches with the most losses in the NFL?
When the history of the NFL is measured by wins and losses, it often highlights the game’s greats, but it also tells another story: one of coaches who stuck around long enough to collect the most defeats.
Longevity at the highest level almost inevitably leads to harsh cumulative numbers, especially when combined with rebuilding years, franchise instability and regular season grind. In that sense, a handful of names stand out for having lost more games than any other head coaches in league history.
At the top of the list and in a somewhat ironic twist is Bill Belichick, who, despite being one of the most successful coaches in NFL history, also ranks among those with the most career losses, accumulated primarily during his long tenure with the New England Patriots.
His career regular-season losses reached 165, tying him with Dan Reeves and Jeff Fisher for the most in NFL history by the end of the 2024 season. Including postseason losses pushes that total even higher, tying him with Tom Landry at 178 overall.
Bill Belichick (Source: Al Bello/Getty Images)
Reeves and Fisher also occupy prominent spots on this list, each with long careers that spanned multiple teams and decades. Dan compiled his losses across stops with the Broncos, Giants and Falcons, while Jeff’s total came from an extended run in Tennessee and with the Rams.
Their high loss totals reflect not just struggles but sheer tenure: both coached more than two decades in the league, allowing their cumulative records to grow larger than almost anyone else’s.
Taken together, these coaches illustrate how NFL history rewards endurance and sometimes punishes it statistically, even for those who are among the most recognized names in the sport.
Longevity, in many cases, is inseparable from being counted among the “leaders” in losses, simply because coaching in the NFL for decades means facing dozens of elite teams year after year.
