It’s Black Monday in the NFL, the day that many teams will fire their head coaches.
The day after the regular season has become an unofficial part of the football schedule, coming as the day that teams pull the plug on their current coaching administration and look to the future.
Some moves will be seen coming from a mile away. Others will be a surprise to the football world. Whether we get news about Bill Belichick’s future with the New England Patriots remains to be seen. But for now, here’s a rundown of all the coaching news, rumors and official firings that come through today:
NFL coach firing tracker (Live updates)
– The Atlanta Falcons have fired head coach Arthur Smith — This is the first firing of 2024. Technically, the move came before Monday. Reports that Smith had been fired started to trickle out after the Falcons’ season-ending loss to the New Orleans Saints. The team officially announced the firing in a statement posted shortly after midnight.
“Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good,” team chairman Arthur Blank said in a statement. “We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position.”
Previous firings
The first NFL coach fired in 2023 was former Patriots assistant Josh McDaniels, who was let go by the Las Vegas Raiders midseason. After that, the Carolina Panthers fired Frank Reich just 11 games into his first season with the team. Then there was Brandon Staley, who was fired by the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 15.
