Every NFL firing that happened on Sunday and ‘Black Monday’ [UPDATED]

January 10, 2023 ndowd

Black Monday is here, and teams are making decisions on their future. Here are all the coaches that have been let go so far.

This season wasn’t the smoothest in the NFL. Look no further than the fact that the defending Super Bowl champions fell to 5-12 this year and missed the postseason.

While a myriad of reasons could be posited as the reason why the quality across the board suffered this year, it’s hard to look past the coaching. And frankly, even if coaching isn’t the issue, we all know the buck stops with the head coach. They take the blame as a scapegoat even if the issues are beyond what they can do to fix.

Black Monday, the day after the final day of the NFL regular season, is here, and we’re sure to see a lot of changes across the league.

This post will focus on just firings that occurred late Sunday night or throughout Monday. Remember, some coaches were fired mid-season. For a full look at the entire coaching carousel, we have a tracker here.

What is Black Monday in the NFL?

Black Monday is the colloquial term for the Monday after the final Sunday of the regular season where many NFL coaches and coordinators are relieved of their duties. With the season over, it’s logical for teams to move on from coaches if they know they’ll be making a change.

And with that out of the way, let’s take a look at the updated firings. These are in alphabetical order by team mascot name.

CARDINALS: Kliff Kingsbury fired by Arizona on Monday

The Arizona Cardinals have fired Kliff Kingsbury just one season after signing him to a contract extension through 2027, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Sources: The Arizona Cardinals fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who 10 months ago signed a contract extension through the 2027 season.

The Cardinals still never have had a head coach – any head coach – last longer than six years while the team has existed for over 100 years. pic.twitter.com/kYWb1AfjIG

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2023

As Schefter noted, Arizona is a notorious destination for head coaches who prefer short tenures. Unfortunately, that is not a thing.

The Cardinals do have a franchise quarterback (or so they hope) in Kyler Murray, and some draft capital. There is something to work with in Arizona for interested head coaching candidates. Kingsbury just wasn’t the right fit.

Additionally, Steve Kleim, Cardinals GM, also stepped down:

BROWNS: DC Joe Woods relieved of duties on Monday morning

The Browns have fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods.

Reading the tea leaves, Kevin Stefanski is probably safe, since it wouldn’t make sense to fire a coordinator before the head coach if the HC was going to get canned as well. Stefanski didn’t have his quarterback for most of the season, so that makes sense.

TEXANS: Lovie Smith fired by Houston Sunday night

Head coach Lovie Smith was fired by the Houston Texans after just one season leading the team. Houston put up a 3-13 record and was last place in the AFC South this season.

Smith met with ownership before Week 18’s game and presumably pleaded his case for another season with the team. Houston rallied for a win in the final game, but ironically hurt themselves in the process, losing out on the No. 1 overall pick which they’ve held the proverbial rights to for most of the season.

Smith spoke after the game about how he wouldn’t tell his guys to go out and lose.

Now, he’s out looking for his next gig.

TITANS: OC Todd Downing fired after Tennessee misses playoffs

After two seasons as the Tennessee offensive coordinator, Todd Downing has been fired.

Downing took over the Titans in the 2021 season but saw a decline on that side of the ball in Tennessee. Injuries played a factor in that, particularly this past season, but the stark drop-off that the Titans experienced was ultimately too much for Mike Vrabel to keep Downing on the staff moving forward.

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