“Black Monday” has arrived in the NFL’s coaching ranks.
The Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Cincinnati Bengals announced Monday morning they’re all firing their coaches.
The Broncos have parted ways with coach Vance Joseph, according to reports. The Dolphins axed coach Adam Gase, while the Bengals let Marvin Lewis go as well.
Two other coaches — the New York Jets’ Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Dick Koetter — were fired Sunday night, according to reports.
The Arizona Cardinals are also expected to fire coach Steve Wilks after just one season, according to NFL.com. The Cardinals went 3-13 under Wilks, earning the No. 1 overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. (Update: Wilks has in fact been let go, NFL.com now reports.)
Lewis was the longest-tenured coach to get the axe. He had been roaming the sidelines in Cincinnati since 2003, leading the Bengals to seven playoff appearances. But he was unable to win a single postseason game during his tenure, and this season’s injury-plagued 6-10 campaign led to his dismissal.
Joseph was let go after just two seasons, but they were the first back-to-back losing campaigns in team history. The Broncos went 11-21 during his tenure.
Gase was fired after going 7-9 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year in Miami. He went 23-25 in his three seasons with the team, leading the Dolphins to one playoff appearance in 2016, when they went 10-6.
The Jets and Buccaneers announced the firings of their coaches Sunday night. Bowles went 24-40 in four seasons at the helm in New York, and presided over a team that lost 21 of its last 27 games. The Jets went 4-12 this season.
Koetter guided Tampa Bay to a 19-29 record in his three seasons at the helm, including a 5-11 record this year.
