NFL Black Monday Begins With Giants Stunner; Pederson Out

With 14 teams headed to the NFL playoffs, the other 18 are looking to 2025. The Jets, Bears, and Saints fired their head coaches in season, and two more let their coaches go after 17 games. This post will be updated as news breaks on the NFL’s annual Black Monday; it was most recently updated at 3:39 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Black Tuesday

In a bizarre series of events, the Raiders fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday—the day after letting him hold his season-ending news conference. Pierce was asked about his status on Monday and told reporters that “I haven’t been told anything different.” The Raiders went 4–13 in what turned out to be Pierce’s sole season as head coach.

Along with Jerod Mayo, Pierce is one of two Black coaches who was fired after just a single season in charge. How NFL teams handle their openings this winter will be closely monitored, especially after the Titans fired GM Ran Carthon on Tuesday after two seasons. Carthon was among a record-high 11 minority GMs in the league this past season.

Giants Stay the Course

The Giants need a massive overhaul after winning nine games over the last two seasons. On Monday, owner John Mara announced both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will return for the 2025 season. 

Mara addressed reporters Monday and called finding “our quarterback of the future” the team’s “No. 1 priority.” He declined to give a timeline for improvement in relation to Daboll’s and Schoen’s job security. 

“It better not take too long, because I’ve just about run out of patience,” Mara said. 

Daboll is 18–32 in three seasons as head coach with a playoff berth and win both coming in his first season. The team released starting quarterback Daniel Jones midway through the season despite signing him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension in 2023. New York will pick third overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Pederson, Mayo Fired 

The Jaguars fired coach Doug Pederson after three seasons Monday morning. Pederson won Super Bowl LII as head coach of the Eagles, but he has struggled to capture playoff success since. The Jaguars went just 3–14 this season after owner Shad Khan called the roster the “best team assembled” in franchise history. 

Similarly to Daboll, Pederson had just one playoff appearance in three seasons with a young quarterback and just a 22–29 record. The Jaguars have lost 18 of their past 23 games. Surprisingly, the team did not fire general manager Trent Baalke, who was named interim GM in November 2020 and retained the full-time position months later. Baalke had also survived a power struggle with Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco.

New England had earlier fired Jerod Mayo on Sunday night after one season.

This Cycle’s Hot Coordinators 

A number of teams have already put in interview requests for their current openings. The Jets requested interviews with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, according to ESPN. McCown played for the team from 2017 to 2018. ESPN also reported the team requested interviews with 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, and Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. The Jets were also one of three teams to request an interview with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, along with the Bears and Saints. 

For their general manager opening, ESPN reported the Jets have requested interviews with Rams senior personnel executive Ray Farmer, Buccaneers assistant GM Mike Greenberg—a Long Island native and childhood Jets fan—and Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi. 

More Firings?

There has been no word on Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who went 7–10 after losing quarterback Dak Prescott to injury halfway through the season. 

According to ESPN, the Seahawks fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb while the Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, both after one season.