It’s Black Monday in the NFL and we all know what that means — coaches are being fired left and right across the league.
It started on Sunday afternoon when the New England Patriots announced the firing of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. While our Black Monday Tracker is keeping track of every firing, here is the list of the NFL teams seeking new head coaches.
What Teams Will Be Tapping Into the 2025 Head Coach Market?
Las Vegas Raiders
Antonio Pierce was 9-17 in parts of two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. He took over as interim coach in 2023 when Josh McDaniels was fired.
Turning red zone trips into seven points and limiting your opponent’s ability to do so often swings outcomes, and in that regard, the Raiders struggled in a major way under Pierce.
During his two seasons, Las Vegas has ranked 29th in red zone offense and defense, a combination that caps the team’s ceiling. Limited talent can result in a low red zone trip rate. Still, coaching is often responsible for scheming up ways to convert the opportunities when they present themselves, an area that Pierce needs to iron out with time.
The Raiders ranked 27th in third-down conversion rate during Pierce’s tenure. Part of those struggles can be attributed to a lack of upside at the quarterback position.
Still, the fact that they have ranked 27th in third-and-short situations speaks to a lack of offensive creativity that prevents much in the way of offensive potential.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Monday morning started with the Jacksonville Jaguars announcing the firing of Doug Pederson. It was just a few years ago that the Jaguars were an up-and-coming franchise behind quarterback Trevor Lawerence, but the last two years have been anything but a picnic.
Although they made the playoffs in 2022 and barely missed out of a playoff berth in 2023, they only won four games this year and lost Lawrence in the process to injury.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan, released a statement on Pederson’s firing. “Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives,” Khan said in the statement.
“As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now.”
Pederson’s record with the Jags was 22-29.
New York Jets
This didn’t come as a shocker. The Jets were supposed to be playoff-bound this year with the return of Aaron Rodgers. Instead, they fired head coach Robert Saleh in the middle of the season and that still didn’t work.
They ended up winning only five games this season and missing the playoffs for the 15th year in a row. There are even rumors that the Jets may interview former head coach Rex Ryan for their open position.
New England Patriots
As aforementioned, the Patriots kind of kicked off Black Monday with the firing of Jerod Mayo Sunday after the Patriots’ victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Mayo was in a tough spot to begin with following legendary Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, so he was in a no-win situation. Many NFL analysts, including former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, blasted the team for making this move.
Gronk said this on the Fox NFL set: “I was shocked by that, and to happen that soon was a shocker to a lot of people, especially here at the desk, we were all surprised by that,” Gronk said. “I think it was unfair to coach Jerod Mayo. I mean, he never had the chance to develop as a head coach, he was just a rookie himself in that department. And if you judge a coach by their first year, that’s really … not appropriate…”
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears fired their head coach Matt Eberflus in the middle of the season, the first time in franchise history that it’s happened. After they lost to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, the Bears front office moved in a new direction.
The team cited Eberflus’ clock management in that Lions game as the last straw. His record with the Bears was 14-32. So, where does the team turn now? If the rumors are true, they are looking within the division to hire a coordinator from one of their rivals (Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions).
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have struggled mightily since head coach Sean Payton stepped down. They fired Dennis Allen in the middle of the season thinking that he was the problem. It turns out, he wasn’t, and the team was still bad under interim head coach Darren Rizzi.
The Saints’ record since Payton? 21-30.
On the shortlist right now for the Saints’ head coaching position: Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel is said to be on the Las Vegas Raiders’ radar as well if they fire Antonio Pierce.
Whoever takes the job in the Bayou, don’t underestimate Derek Carr, who had a sneaky good season in New Orleans, finishing as PFN’s 11th-ranked QB per QB+.
(Editor’s Note: The Dallas Cowboys could potentially have a vacancy, as Mike McCarthy’s contract expires on Jan. 14. Jerry Jones will likely make a decision on his future in the coming days.)