NFL Coaches Fired: The NFL was not kind to coaches today as a number of teams parted ways with their head coaches after the final week of the season.
Advertisement
The Monday after the last Sunday is commonly known as ‘Black Monday’ as underperforming coaches are traditionally let go on this day. A number of teams this year decided that enough was enough. Disappointment, losing seasons, and a general lack of ability to make an impact on younger players were the commong reasons coaches were let go this year.
The first coach to be fired this year was Urban Meyers, but he was let go through midway through the season as a number of on and off the field antics left the Jacksonville Jaguars organization with no choice.
Jacksonville fired its former HC Urban Meyer for cause, with the intention of not paying him the remaining four years of his contract, sources tell @JeffDarlington and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 18, 2021
So which coaches were let go?
NFL Coaches Fired:
#1. Chicago Bears let go of Head Coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace
Nagy and Pace had one year of brilliance in 2018 when the team went 12-4 and made the playoffs behind a dominant defence. The storyline of that year was Kahlil Mack’s signing which helped the Bears defense compensate for a lackluster offense.
However, that one season was all Chicago fans really got to enjoy in Nagy’s tenure. The team made the playoffs one more time (more of a fluke that they did really), and this year was the last straw. The Bears went 6-11 and despite there being tremendous hope around drafting Justin Fields, it seems Nagy did more to harm his development than help it.
: Bears fire coach Matt Nagy after four seasons (per @RapSheet)https://t.co/3eBYv0xn1q pic.twitter.com/FuxVrJKrz4
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 10, 2022
#2. Minnesota Vikings clean house with Mike Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman
The Vikings, much like the Bears, let go of their entire staff after yet another disappointing season. Zimmer has had his ups and downs, but in the end, he just wasn’t the right person to utilize the Vikings’ offensive weapons in the best way.
: Vikings fire coach Mike Zimmer, GM Rick Spielman (per @TomPelissero)https://t.co/iGrDxyRGDw pic.twitter.com/b4yHE1Bbj3
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 10, 2022
#3. Miami Dolphins shockingly fire Brian Flores
Flores showed promise with the Dolphins as last year Miami won 10 games, and this year they finished the season 8-1 after starting 1-7. However, Miami decided that wouldn’t be enough and let him go much to the surprise of fans everywhere.
Surprising. Seems like a pretty quick hook for a guy in a rebuilding franchise. Thought he had done pretty well — hope he gets a look elsewhere.
— Michael Ordoña (@MichaelOrdona) January 10, 2022
NFL Coaches Fired: Head Coaching carousel will start soon
Vic Fangio was another coach who was let go, but he was technically fired just before black monday. Additionally, Jon Gruden had resigned from the Las Vegas Raiders earlier in the season amidst a controversy surrounding racist and sexist emails.
The head coach hunt will begin soon for all these teams, and it’ll be interesting to watch who each team hires to lead the way towards a hopefully brighter future.