With the 2024-25 NFL season in the books, it means only one thing: “Black Monday” has arrived, the day after the conclusion of Week 18 when some organizations depart with their head coaches, general managers and other staff members heading into the offseason.
It’ll be a flurry of moves from around the league as owners and front offices look to see who’s available, bring them in for an interview(s) and find the replacement swiftly with the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft all on the horizon.
Here’s the latest on who’s been a causality of one of the toughest days in the NFL:
Seahawks fire offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after one season
It’s one and done for Grubb in his first year in the NFL.
He spent the previous 19 seasons at the college ranks, where he started at Division II Sioux Falls and worked all the way up to offensive coordinator at the University of Washington for two years before making the jump to the NFL.
Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo let go after six years
Anarumo, one of the longest tenured defensive coordinators in the NFL, was fired on Monday morning.
This move isn’t a complete shock, with the Bengals expected to go in a different direction after Cincinnati’s defense was the main catalyst of the franchise missing the playoffs despite QB Joe Burrow leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns.
The 58-year-old Georgia native had head coaching interviews after the Bengals made it all the way to Super Bowl 56 three years ago, but decided to stay with the organization.
While it likely won’t be as a head coach, Anarumo should land as a defensive coordinator with one of the current openings around the league, potentially roaming the sidelines for the Jets if they decide to go that route.
As of now, Steve Spagnuolo, current Chiefs defensive coordinator and former Giants’ DC and interim head coach, is the longest active defensive coordinator in the NFL at six years in his current role in Kansas City.
Jerod Mayo out after one season as head coach in New England
Patriots owner Robert Kraft had reportedly planned for Mayo to be the next head coach in New England long before he let go of six-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick this time last year.
But 360 days later, Kraft decided to fire Mayo not long after the team’s 23-16 win over the Bills in Week 18.
The move to make the former Patriots linebacker their head coach was a peculiar one at the time last offseason, as Mayo’s only previous coaching experience was being the inside linebackers coach for five seasons before being promoted all the way to head coach.
With their franchise QB already situated in Drake Maye, the Patriots will be a team to watch early in the 2025 NFL Draft, holding the No. 4 spot with a few QB needy teams behind them in the draft order.
Jacksonville Jaguars fire head coach Doug Pederson
The first head coach gone officially on “Black Monday” isn’t a surprising one, as Pederson’s time in Jacksonville is over.
Even after back-to-back 9-8 seasons with an appearance in the divisional round in 2022, the writing was on the wall for the former Super Bowl-winning head coach, who finished his tenure with an underwhelming 22-29 record as head coach of the Jaguars in three seasons.
Perhaps the more surprising move was owner Shad Khan’s decision to retain general manager Trent Baalke, who arrived a year before Pederson and has a 25-43 record with one playoff appearance under his belt with the organization.
Ken Dorsey out after one season with Browns
Cleveland decided to move on from its offensive coordinator less than 24 hours after its Week 18 finale against the Ravens on Saturday night.
Dorsey was in his third year as an OC in the NFL, spending his first two seasons in Buffalo before being let go mid-season by the Bills in 2023.
Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy fired after Week 9 loss
The first coordinator change of 2024 came midway through the year when Getsy was let go in Las Vegas heading into its bye in Week 10.
The 40-year-old playcaller was in his first season as OC with the Raiders after spending the two previous years in the same role with the Bears.
Before becoming an offensive coordinator, Getsy spent 2014-17 and 2019-21 in various roles with the Green Bay Packers.
