The 2022 season was a grim one for NFL head coaches.
Three coaches were fired in season as the Carolina Panthers’ Matt Rhule, Indianapolis Colts’ Frank Reich and Denver Broncos’ Nathaniel Hackett were summarily told to hit the bricks before they could hang a new calendar in their office.
The start of 2023 promises to be similarly rough. Black Monday is the colloquial term for the first day after the regular season concludes and teams outside the playoffs are forced to reckon with their failures. That’s the day most struggling coaches are informed their services are no longer needed. While this year’s early firings have pared that list down from its most obvious candidates, January 9 promises to be the last day at work for at least one overwhelmed playbook author.
Who won’t be coming back for next season? There are several coaches who’ll wake up nervous Monday morning — but in the end, Black Monday may not be the extinction event it has been in the past. Here are the candidates to watch.