Every year on “Black Monday,” the first Monday after the regular season ends, a slew of head coaches and front office executives are fired as teams with bad seasons want to shake up their leadership.
The Black Monday NFL waltzes began with the layoffs of Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy, the Chicago Bears general manager, and head coach, respectively.
Black Monday in the NFL
Nagy’s fate looked determined after the squad faltered in 2021, finishing with a 6-11 record. In Pace’s instance, it was unclear if he would be shown the exit door, if he would stay in his job, or if he would be transferred to another position within the corporation.
During the seven PES seasons in Chicago, the Bears had a combined record of 48-65. They had one season with a winning record and two playoff appearances.
The Bears had a 34-31 overall record in Nagy’s four seasons as head coach. Since qualifying for the National League Championship Game in 2010, the Bears have not won a postseason game.
On NFL Black Monday, the Minnesota Vikings also fired general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer, resulting in a clean slate.
Zimmer has a 72-56-1 overall record in eight seasons as the Vikings’ head coach. The squad won the Northern Division National League title in 2015 and 2017 and two of their five playoff games during his tenure.
Zimmer, who is 65 years old, is the NFL’s seventh-most senior coach. Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Mike Tomlin, John Harbo, Pete Carroll, and Andy Reed are the six coaches who have won at least one Super Bowl before him.
Only three other National League clubs have been in the Super Bowl since Spielman was named Vice President of Player Personnel in 2006: Dallas, Detroit, and Washington.
On Black Monday, the Miami Dolphins have fired coach Brian Flores, which may come as a surprise. Brian Flores, the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, was dismissed on Monday.
During Flores’ three years as head coach, the Dolphins had a 24-25 overall record and failed to make the playoffs. They did, however, end the 2021 season with a 9-8 record, winning eight of their last nine games. They beat the New England Patriots 33-24 on Sunday.
