NFL Black Monday: Four teams fire coaches after end of regular season
Four NFL coaches have lost their jobs following the end of the 2025 regular season. Here we round up the major moves on Black Monday.
The end of the NFL regular season is traditionally followed by a string of head coaching departures as those teams who failed to reach the playoffs assess their respective campaigns.
And plenty have decided to make significant changes this Monday after the end of the 2025 season for 18 teams.
Here we round up the major moves from what has come to be known as ‘Black Monday’.
Table of Contents
NFL Black Monday firings
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals dispensed with the services of head coach Jonathan Gannon after three seasons at the helm.
Following an encouraging 8-9 season in 2024, the Cardinals finished 2025 with a 3-14 record, losing 13 of their final 14 games after a 2-0 start.
General manager Monti Ossenfort keeps his job, and will need to resolve the future of quarterback Kyler Murray in addition to finding a new head coach. Former first overall pick Murray played just five games this season due to injury.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons got a head start on the rest as they fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot following their 8-9 season.
It was a second successive 8-9 campaign for Morris, though the Falcons finishing in a tie for first place in the NFC South was deceptive, as they reeled off four successive wins to end the season having already suffered elimination.
Fontenot had been in charge of the front office since 2021. The Falcons have not had a winning season in that time despite using top-10 picks on talents such as Kyle Pitts, Drake London and star running back Bijan Robinson.
Cleveland Browns
Kevin Stefanski twice won Coach of the Year during his time with the Browns, but his tenure is over following a 5-12 campaign.
That was a second successive losing season for the Browns, who went 3-14 in 2024, with the franchise in essence paying the price for the disastrous trade for Deshaun Watson, which has left them in a dreadful spot at quarterback.
Andrew Berry keeps his job for now despite his role in that trade. Stefanski will likely be a popular name on the coaching market and get a fresh start elsewhere.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders secured the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Sunday and finished off their season with a defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs, only their third victory of a miserable campaign.
Unsurprisingly, it has meant an end to Pete Carroll’s time as the head coach.
Carroll’s effort to revitalise a franchise that has not won a playoff game since the 2002 season failed spectacularly and, at 74, his head coaching career in the NFL is likely now at an end.
Staying put
Despite a third successive season in which they missed the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals have elected to stick with head coach Zac Taylor and general manager Duke Tobin.
After going 9-8 in 2023 and 2024, the Bengals slumped to a 6-11 finish in 2025, a season disrupted by a turf toe injury to quarterback Joe Burrow.
Bengals president Mike Brown said: “Our focus is on building a team that can consistently compete at the highest level, with the goal of winning championships.
“After thoughtful consideration, I am confident that Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor are the right leaders to guide us forward.
“They have proven they can build and lead teams that compete for championships. We trust their plans and expect to return to our desired level of success.”
The Indianapolis Colts are also going with continuity, despite their collapse from 8-2 to 8-9.
Head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard will remain in post following a campaign in which the Colts’ hopes were derailed by an Achilles injury to starting quarterback Daniel Jones.
The loss of Jones likely played a role in Steichen keeping his job, though there may be more scrutiny on on the decision to retain Ballard, who has just one playoff win to his name in nine seasons as GM.