NFL roundup: Seven head coaches, five GMs fired
Black Monday certainly lived up to its nickname, as seven head coaches and five general managers were fired by 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, one day after the final regular-season game.
Six of the seven fired coaches had losing records this year, but one, Lovie Smith, finished off a 10-6 season with the Chicago Bears but still got the ax.
Smith was fired after nine seasons and a second straight collapse in the second half of the season that left Chicago out of the playoffs. The Bears began the season 7-1 but lost five of their final eight games.
The Philadelphia Eagles officially fired head coach Andy Reid after 14 seasons, with the team slumping to a 4-12 record this year. Reid was immediately announced as one of three early candidates for the head coaching opening with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Rod Graves after a 5-11 season that saw the team start four different quarterbacks.
The San Diego Chargers fired coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith after the team went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the third straight year. The Chargers are interested in Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians as a possible replacement, according to the NFL Network.
New Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam began to clean house, firing general manager Tom Heckert and head coach Pat Shurmur a day after the team concluded a 5-11 season.
The Buffalo Bills fired head coach Chan Gailey after a 6-10 season, and the Kansas City Chiefs dismissed Romeo Crennel after a they went 2-14.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets did not fire their coaches, but they did fire their general managers. The Jaguars ousted Gene Smith the day after the team completed a 2-14 season, but they kept Mike Mulkarkey as head coach. The Jets fired Mike Tannenbaum but retained head coach Rex Ryan. The Jets then contacted former Colts executive Bill Polian about his interest in the GM job, but Polian said he wasn't interested, USA Today reported.
--Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams told the Tennessean that coach Mike Munchak would keep his job, but he fired senior executive vice president/chief operating officer Mike Reinfeldt.
Reinfeldt oversaw the team's personnel in addition to his COO duties. General manager Ruston Webster is expected to take on a more influential role, numerous media outlets reported.
--Bears wide receiver and return specialist Devin Hester is considering retiring in the wake of Smith getting fired.
"I have my workers' comp papers in my pocket," Hester told the Chicago Tribune. "See how I feel ... go home and talk to my wife, my family. See where we go from there. I've got two beautiful kids, man, young. Two boys. A lot of stress has been on my mind lately."
--The Oakland Raiders announced that they fired offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, special teams coordinator Steve Hoffman, offensive line coach Frank Pollack and linebackers coach Johnny Holland.
Oakland finished 18th in total offense this season at 344 yards per game, but the Raiders ranked 28th in rushing with 88.8 yards per game.
--New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, considered a priority interview candidate for multiple head-coaching vacancies, has informed suitors that he's planning to remain with the Patriots for the 2013 season and isn't interested in participating in the interview process, ESPN.com reported.
--Baltimore Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta's name immediately became associated with several of the openings.
However, Ozzie Newsome's assistant with the Ravens, who has been a hot name in GM circles for several years, said he does not intend to pursue a general manager job this offseason.
--A federal judge threw out a lawsuit Monday by the NFL Players' Association that claimed owners colluded in the uncapped 2010 season, ESPN.com reported.
The players accused the owners of conspiring to keep salaries down in 2010 with a secret salary cap.
--Sunday night's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins was the highest-rated NFL regular-season primetime game ever on NBC, and the highest-rated on any network in 15 years, according to overnight data released by the Nielsen Company.
The game drew an 18.3 overnight rating and a 30 share. The Redskins beat the Cowboys 28-18 to clinch the NFC East division title.
--The San Francisco 49ers announced that they waived running back Brandon Jacobs, ending a relationship that was rocky from the start.
Jacobs, who signed with the 49ers last April after playing the 2011 season with the New York Giants, appeared in two games for the 49ers and had seven yards on five carries.
