Four head coaches woke up unemployed this morning. Two more had already been shown the door midseason. And somewhere in Atlanta, Matt Ryan is probably measuring the curtains in Terry Fontenot's old office.
Black Monday delivered exactly what it always delivers: chaos, uncertainty, and the annual reminder that coaching in the NFL is the most unstable job in professional sports outside of being a Russian oligarch's yacht captain.
The body count
The Cleveland Browns pulled the trigger first, dismissing Kevin Stefanski after six seasons. The two-time Coach of the Year leaves with a 45-56 record and a complicated legacy. He won those awards in 2020 and 2023—but also presided over a 5-12 disaster this year that left the franchise dead last in the AFC North.
"After six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, I leave with an immense sense of gratitude," Stefanski said in a statement. The gratitude is mutual, Kevin. Sort of.
GM Andrew Berry survives. Make of that what you will.
Hours later, Las Vegas made Pete Carroll one-and-done—more on that trainwreck separately—while the Arizona Cardinals finally pulled the plug on Jonathan Gannon after a 15-36 three-year run that included an absolutely brutal nine-game losing streak to close out 2025.
The Atlanta Falcons, ever the overachievers, fired both coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot on Sunday night before most teams even got the memo that Black Monday was approaching. Morris went 16-18 over two seasons. Fontenot lasted five years without a single playoff appearance. The Falcons' last postseason trip was 2017. Let that sink in.
What actually matters here
Six open head coaching jobs now exist—Cleveland, Las Vegas, Arizona, Atlanta, plus the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants who made their changes midseason. That's a lot of opportunity for the same recycled names to get recycled once more.
The most fascinating situation is Atlanta. Owner Arthur Blank announced the creation of a "President of Football" position that will oversee both the head coach and general manager. Translation: the Falcons are installing adult supervision. And all signs point to franchise legend Matt Ryan filling that role.
The Raiders situation is pure dysfunction. Tom Brady, minority owner and future Hall of Famer, will help lead the coaching search alongside GM John Spytek. They have the No. 1 overall pick. They have no quarterback. They have no identity. Good luck.
Cleveland will be Cleveland—meaning they'll probably hire someone sensible, give them three years of impossible circumstances, then fire them when they don't win a Super Bowl with the roster equivalent of a gas station breakfast sandwich.
The survivors
Some coaches dodged bullets today. Zac Taylor and Duke Tobin get to run it back in Cincinnati after a 6-11 season that should've gotten both fired. John Harbaugh keeps his job in Baltimore despite another playoff collapse brewing in slow motion.
The coaching carousel is just getting started. Kliff Kingsbury's name is already floating around. Jesse Minter, the Chargers' defensive coordinator, is the hot name this cycle. Ben Johnson will get calls. Brian Flores will get calls. Bill Belichick will pretend he's not interested until he suddenly is.
Same story, different January. The NFL eats its coaches and asks for seconds.