Black Monday is upon us. The day NFL teams fire their coaches or GMs in hopes of finding the right guy to change the culture of their franchise. If you’re like me, its a day you’ve been waiting on for months now. Hue Jackson was technically the first to go backer in October and he was followed by Mike McCarthy earlier this month. Let’s take a look at the coaches who were most recently let go.
Dirk Koetter
Koetter actually didn’t make it to Monday. He was released immediately following the Falcons’ loss on Sunday. Koetter was promoted from offensive coordinator after the 2015 season in hopes that he could develop Jameis Winston into a franchise quarterback. Winston hasn’t taken the steps many would like and Koetter is cleaning out his desk after a 19-29 career record. Winston will reportedly be the quarterback in 2019 so whoever takes the job will be tasked with seeing if Winston is actually “the guy”. Koetter will likely land an offensive coordinator position with another organization. The Buccaneers were quite productive on the offensive side of the ball this year. They were 3rd in total offensive yards with 6,648 and 415.5 yards per game.
Todd Bowles
Bowles is another coach who did not make it to Monday. His fate was sealed back in Week 10 when the Jets got embarrassed at home against the Matt Barkley led Bills 41-10. After a promising 10-6 rookie year in 2015, Bowles never eclipsed more than 5 wins in a season. His overall record was 24-40 and he failed to make the playoffs in each of his four seasons. Bowles is a sharp defensive mind and will certainly get picked up by a team looking for a defensive coordinator. He will also get some head coaching interviews. As for the Jets, their goal will be to find someone who can help Sam Darnold grow into a franchise quarterback and turn around their losing culture.
Marvin Lewis
Yes, it has finally happened. The immortal Marvin Lewis was not able to escape Black Monday this time as the Bengals have parted ways with the 16-year head coach. He is infamous for his 0-7 playoff record and is not likely to be a head coach in the near future. However, a defensive coordinator role could potentially be in the cards for the 60-year old coach. Hue Jackson is rumored to be his successor which would be a monumental mistake given how well Cleveland has done since Jackson’s departure.
Vance Joseph
Joseph is gone after two seasons in which the Broncos didn’t make the playoffs. The Broncos have not had back-to-back losing seasons since 1972. John Elway reportedly wanted to move on from Joseph after last season in favor of his former coach, Mike Shanahan. Joseph took over after Gary Kubiak stepped down due to health complications. Joseph went 11-21 in his two years at the helm. Joseph received a lot of blame for the Broncos’ struggles, however, some of this is on Elway, who failed to give him the right pieces to succeed. Drafting Paxton Lynch in the first round and opting to go with Case Keenum over the rookies in the 2018 class brings his shortcomings to mind.
Steve Wilks
Wilks is out the door after just one season with the Cardinals. The Cardinals took a massive step backward after Bruce Arians retired last season. The Cardinals ended up with the first overall pick with a 3-13 record. The Cardinals are an attractive job with Josh Rosen as the quarterback and the top pick along with some studs on the defensive side of the ball. They also have about $65 million in cap space.
Adam Gase
Gase’s departure was a little more surprising than the rest. There were mixed reports on whether he’d be back but he ultimately got the ax on Monday. Gase was hired back in 2015 and has one playoff appearance in which they were bounced by the Steelers. Gase was 23-25 in his tenure with Miami and will likely get interviews for both head coach and offensive coordinator positions. The Dolphins have been stuck in mediocrity and will look for someone to dig them out.
Featured image via Flickr/Keith Allison
