The NFL's “Black Monday” is approaching. This is the first unofficial day of the offseason for non-playoff teams, traditionally the day most coaching firings are announced and the quest for a new era begins.
At least three teams are known to be searching, with the Bears, Jets and Saints all planning to fire their coaches midway through the season and operate under interim players. As it stands, none of these interim coaches seem to have put in enough effort to convert their temporary positions into full-time jobs, so I'll leave them without mentioning them here.
Instead, we're focusing on the existing coaches who could lose their jobs on Monday, but with a few surprises.
False trends – could disappear on Black Monday
Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
There's been a lot of silence from Jacksonville, but it's hard to imagine Doug Pederson returning to the Jaguars once things calm down. This season started with a lot of expectations. Owner Shad Khan believed this was the most talented Jaguars team since he took over. And although it wasn't wrong in theory, everything went haywire.
Pederson's decision-making has seemed off base this season. His staff let him down. Trevor Lawrence regressed after signing a massive contract and everything went wrong. Six months ago it looked like the Jags would be contending for the AFC South title, but now they're in the top 10.
For all of these reasons, it wouldn't be surprising if Pederson left on Black Monday.
Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders
This experiment was not fruitful. Pressure from within the locker room led the Raiders to keep Pierce as interim coach in 2023, which seemed like a good move on paper. This franchise, usually known for big, flashy, and ridiculous coaching hires, made a smart choice and felt like this was going to work out.
A year later, that wasn't the case. Pierce was clearly out of his depth as a full-time head coach and needed another year or two of seasoning. The Raiders are under a lot of pressure to win right now, and with a quarterback change on the horizon, it makes sense to make major changes across the board.
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
Shane Steichen, a surprising name that has come up in recent weeks, has been heavily criticized for the Colts once again missing the playoffs. Reports have ranged from him fighting for his job to being the key to a return in 2025, but that's what puts this whole situation in jeopardy.
For what it's worth: Firing Steichen would be a big mistake. The Colts have pretty much outplayed each of their talents the past two years, but the biggest blemish on the coaching staff has been the incredible mishandling of Anthony Richardson. Of that.
Still, there aren't that many better options this team could go with, so keeping the status quo is the right choice.
Jerrod Mayo, New England Patriots
It's a bit of a shock to see the Pats let Mayo go after just one season, but there have been complaints from New England that the first-year head coach doesn't have many fans in the locker room or front office.
It's less a case of a team firing a coach because of poor performance (the Pats were just as bad as we expected in 2024) and more of a case of “this person isn't the right person”. Dew. What's surprising is that Mayo was fired “blitz” after just one year.
On the rise — could have saved their jobs.
Brian Daboll, New York Giants
If there's a big argument for keeping Brian Daboll, it's that he inherited a lot of mess. Daboll didn't ask Daniel Jones to be the starting quarterback or ask the front office to let Saquon Barkley leave.
Deep down, the Giants know their problem is deeper and has nothing to do with Brian Daboll. He ultimately succeeded in making this haphazard team swing above their weight class and defeat the Colts in Week 18.
While this organization knows it won't be able to court a top-notch coach if it fires Daboll, every needy team in the league will inquire if the Giants coach is fired. That's why he's likely to stay at this point.
We need to perform in the playoffs.
Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles' head coach was almost fired after Philadelphia's terrible start, but the team secured a top playoff seed and it looked like the head coach's job might be saved.
That being said, there's still a strong belief that Sirianni was bailed out by Saquon Barkley's great play this season (which he was), and since his contract only runs through 2025, he won't be with the team. are at a crossroads where they need one or the other. Either commit to him long term or cut bait and find a new coach.
Sirianni's future could all depend on the playoffs. If they win one or two games, there's a good chance they'll stay with the Eagles, but if they lose badly in the wild card round, there's no telling what will happen.
Who the hell knows?
Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
Trying to guess what the Cowboys will do is like sending a 5-year-old into a room and telling him to get dressed himself. There's a good chance they'll come out looking weird or wearing an old Halloween costume.
It's clear that McCarthy isn't the guy to lead Dallas to Super Bowl glory, but the team still seems content with the status quo. So the job is in complete shambles, and it wouldn't be surprising if McCarthy stays or the team hires a wild coach that no one saw coming.
