Buffalo Bills

NFL Black Monday 2017: Tracking the Head Coach Firings

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:24 p.m. ET

Fansided, Cody Williams/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

NFL Black Monday 2017 is upon us where head coaches see their tenures come to an end. Whose time is up after Week 17?

It’s an unfortunate part of the NFL, but the need for immediate change when it comes to franchises stuck in the mire is always there. So at the end of every regular season, there is always NFL Black Monday. That’s the unflattering nickname given to the day that head coaches are fired as teams decide to go in another direction. It happens every year, but there was plenty of noise before NFL Black Monday 2017 ever arrived.

The first head coach fired in the 2016 NFL season was Jeff Fisher as he was dismissed by the Los Angeles Rams. This was a long time coming given his persistent mediocrity in the past and slipping from even that this season. Next up was the Jacksonville Jaguars giving Gus Bradley his pink-slip, another move that many saw coming.

Before Week 17, we then got another move that wasn’t a surprise—but really only because of rumors leading up to it. The Buffalo Bills fired Rex Ryan as their head coach, in addition to Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator. Even with all of that, though, there were still plenty of job openings about to become available.

It’s worth noting, though, before we dive into NFL Black Monday 2017 that Gary Kubiak retired as the head coach of the Denver Broncos due to health concerns. That was not a firing and shouldn’t be painted as such.

Now let’s take a look at NFL Black Monday 2017, tracking the head coaches that are fired from around the league. And yes, some teams couldn’t even wait until Monday, firing coaches on Sunday after their Week 17 game:

Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers

Mike McCoy has been dismissed as head coach.

INFO: https://t.co/uECp1NbJTy pic.twitter.com/T64O9WryGa

— San Diego Chargers (@Chargers) January 2, 2017

After a 5-11 finish to the 2016 NFL season, the San Diego Chargers fired head coach Mike McCoy. McCoy took over the post in 2013 and led the team to back-to-back 9-7 seasons. In the past two seasons, though, he went 4-12 and 5-11, albeit with an inordinate amount of injuries hampering his potential success. Because of that, though, don’t be surprised if McCoy gets looks from elsewhere around the league with teams in need of a head coach. If not, he’ll definitely land as a coordinator somewhere, perhaps with his old pal John Fox with the Chicago Bears.

Chip Kelly, San Francisco 49ers

49ers relieve both Trent Baalke and Chip Kelly of their duties: https://t.co/BVCDa4gpOu pic.twitter.com/tsw0r1eqQa

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 2, 2017

Less than an hour after McCoy was fired on Sunday night, the San Francisco 49ers indeed followed up with what was reported and fired Chip Kelly. They also relieved general manager Trent Baalke of his duties as well. While Baalke hadn’t done much to help Kelly’s situation, his one year with the Niners was abysmal. They finished with a 2-14 record and showed very few signs of progress. Once thought of as a guru, it appears Kelly’s NFL days are now numbered.

Again, no one ever wants to see someone lose their job. However, it’s the reality of the high-pressure job of being an NFL head coach. If you don’t perform up to expectations, you have to deal with the consequences. And sometimes, those consequences are being fired.