NFL Black Monday: Every head coach firing with possible replacements

Black Monday in the NFL is always expected, but it doesn't make it any less conflicting. On the one hand, fans want the best for their teams, and if head coaches and coordinators aren't delivering, that means they have to go. The other hand, however, holds the notion that it's tough to root for human beings to lose their jobs. But we've arrived on Black Monday nonetheless, and that means we have coaching firings to catch up on.

In addition to the firings around the league that will keep coming throughout Monday (and even beyond), we also learn which coaches will be staying put. Zac Taylor isn't going anywhere with the Cincinnati Bengals as ownership announced he'd be retained, which was somewhat expected. But we have to talk about the coaches who didn't get such a vote of confidence. So let's follow along with every NFL head coach firing on Black Monday (and beforehand), as well as diving into a brief look at some possible replacements.

Baltimore Ravens fire John Harbaugh

Black Monday bled into Tuesday as the Baltimore Ravens made the exceptionally bold decision to fire John Harbaugh after 18 seasons. Frustrations had been mounting in the fan base with Harbaugh throughout a wildly disappointing 2025 season, which obviously culminated in a brutal elimination from playoff contention on the final play of the regular season. With some reports also suggesting an unhappy Lamar Jackson and some unrest in the locker room, it appears this was mounting.

Even still, it's a gutsy move from the Ravens front office. Harbaugh is a Super Bowl-winning head coach with a tremendous pedigree. He'll almost surely be interviewing for one of the other NFL head coaching vacancies this offseason, and my money would be on him getting one of those jobs. However, Baltimore felt that a change was necessary, and now we're at a wild point in the offseason with that being a consideration we have to factor in now.

Possible Harbaugh replacements in Baltimore

1. Kliff Kingsbury (Former Commanders OC and Cardinals HC)
2. Joe Brady (Bills OC)
3. Todd Monken (Ravens OC)

Frankly, the Ravens could go in a multitude of directions with replacing Harbaugh. If they want somewhat of a retread with rising stock, Kliff Kingsbury makes a ton of sense, especially with what he could, in theory, orchestrate with Jackson at quarterback. The same would be true of Joe Brady, who has been a master with Josh Allen in Buffalo in a similar sense. But, if Baltimore values familiarity, perhaps promoting Todd Monken would be the move, especially as he's getting other head coaching interviews again already.

Arizona Cardinals fire Jonathan Gannon

There was certainly a will-they, won't-they sentiment with the Cardinals and Jonathan Gannon, but it turned out they will, firing the head coach on Monday. Gannon lasted three seasons in Arizona, struggling to find success. He went 4-13 in his first season, but gained some momentum after an 8-9 campaign in 2024 that had some believing in the Cards' dark-horse potential for the 2025 campaign. Instead, Kyler Murray's injury, among other things, derailed the season en route to a 3-14 finish.

Murray's future in Arizona is now in question, but whoever is at quarterback will now also have a new head coach guiding them. That's fascinating to consider, especially given the offensive firepower of Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, and hopefully a healthy Trey Benson. There's a lot to like about the Cardinals' future, despite the questions at quarterback moving forward. It should be a relatively attractive job in this market.

Possible Gannon replacements in Arizona

1. Joe Brady (Bills OC)
2. Jesse Minter (Chargers DC)
3. Robert Saleh (49ers DC)

Any of these three would be tremendously high-upside swings for the Cardinals. I favor Joe Brady slightly, simply because Gannon was a defensive-minded hire and we could see a new direction. Though, given the issues with this defense, maybe Minter or Saleh is actually the better hire for what Arizona needs to focus on. Regardless, this feels like a spot where they will continue first-time head coaching hires, and they have plenty of great options to choose from.

Las Vegas Raiders fire Pete Carroll

After just one season, Pete Carroll is out as the head coach of the Raiders. And to be sure, even a cursory glance of what the one year in Vegas looked like for the former Seahawks Super Bowl champion head coach makes the move completely justified.

The Raiders not only finished tied for the worst record in the NFL at 3-14, even with a Week 18 triumph over the Chiefs, but the entire operation looked out of sorts. Chip Kelly was fired as offensive coordinator midseason, but Vegas remained mired in poor discipline, consistent miscues, and overall just poor play.

It's not often that you'll see me caping for a firing for a firing after one season, but the Raiders are cutting bait quickly and rightly after a failed experiment. They tried to win now by hiring Carroll, but never had the roster to do so — and the head coach didn't help bring them any closer. It was already time to explore a new direction.

Possible Carroll replacements in Vegas

1. Klint Kubiak (Seahawks OC)
2. Mike LaFleur (Rams OC)
3. Vance Joseph (Broncos DC)

While Joseph isn't necessarily in this same mold, the fact of the matter is that the Raiders would be wise to completely reverse course from Carroll. They're likely to draft either Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore Jr. with the No. 1 overall pick, so bringing in an up-and-coming offensive mind like Kubiak or LaFleur would be perfect to allow the pair to grow together as Vegas resumes their rebuild with some interesting pieces around.

Cleveland Browns fire Kevin Stefanski

Firing Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland certainly wasn't unexpected based on the reporting leading up to Black Monday. This was the direction the Browns have seemingly been heading in for weeks now, though that doesn't necessarily make it the right move for Cleveland.

I fully understand what the last couple of years have looked like for Stefanski and this team. A combined 8-26 record is not exactly a glittering résumé. At the same time, how much can you really blame the head coach? The quarterback carousel has continued, and without really any high-level talent at the position. He had to work this season with Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, for Pete's sake.

Regardless, the Browns will be going in a new direction on the sideline, and will need to make vast improvements to the roster in order for things to even remotely work.

Possible Stefanski replacements in Cleveland

1. Todd Monken (Ravens OC)
2. Matt Burke (Texans DC)
3. Klint Kubiak (Seahawks OC)

It's a wide net that should be cast for the Browns simply because we don't know the direction of this franchise moving forward. Are they going to stick with Shedeur at quarterback, or add a veteran stopgap? How aggressive will general manager Andrew Berry be in improving the O-line, receiver room, and overall offense? For now, I favor a more experienced hire like a Todd Monken, but Burke and Kubiak are rising stars on either side of the ball if Cleveland wants to inject some youth into the locker room.

Atlanta Falcons fire Raheem Morris

Raheem Morris didn't even make it to Black Monday, even coming off a win, as the Falcons elected to hand the head coach his pink slip on Sunday after said victory over the Saints. Back-to-back 8-9 seasons certainly weren't up to expectations in Atlanta. That's especially true when you consider that the Falcons went for it in the past two offseasons. They doubled-up on quarterback with Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. in 2024, following that up by trading their 2026 first-round pick to get two first-round pass-rushers in the 2025 draft.

Because of that, it's no surprise that general manager Terry Fontenot also won't be retained. But the failures of the coaching staff were quite obvious as well. This might be one of the most fascinating hires as well, because the Falcons, despite the coaching shortcomings, aren't all that far away. Atlanta finished tied for the best record in the NFC South at 8-9 on the year, meaning one more victory could've won them the division and a playoff berth. As such, any improvement in replacing Morris could propel the Falcons meaningfully forward in a major way.

Possible Morris replacements in Atlanta

1. Mike LaFleur (Rams OC)
2. Kevin Stefanski (Former Browns HC)
3. Kliff Kiingsbury (Commanders OC)

I fully expect Arthur Blank and the Falcons to ultimately course correct from the Morris hire. They went with a defensive mind as the hire, so it seems likely that we get an offensive mind to take over for him this offseason and eventually work with Penix to further develop this offense. Stefanski could be a gift from the Browns, but the Falcons might not have the inside track on him just yet. However, Mike LaFleur or even Kliff Kingsbury would be a helluva consolation prize given what they've done with their respective offenses.

New York Giants fire Brian Daboll

The New York Giants have been without head coach Brian Daboll since November, so this certainly isn't breaking news. However, the big news out of the G-Men on Black Monday came when the team and owner John Mara announced that general manager Joe Schoen won't be fired — much to the chagrin of most Giants fans at this point.

Over 3.5 seasons with the Giants, Daboll went just 20-40-1 and had only one winning season, a 9-7-1 campaign in his first year back in 2022. Moreover, while Jaxson Dart was a breath of fresh air in his rookie season, Daboll seemed more hellbent on trying to save his job than he was in protecting New York's potential franchise quarterback.

Ultimately, that felt like the disconnect at large that led to his dismissal. Daboll didn't seem to be serving the Giants' outlook nearly as often as he should've, especially with the vote of confidence in Schoen. But now a head coach can take over a core of Dart, Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Abdul Carter, and an incoming Top 5 pick. That's certainly an attractive position in many regards.

Possible Daboll replacements in New York

1. Kevin Stefanski (Former Browns HC)
2. Chris Shula (Rams DC)
3. Mike McCarthy (Former Packers and Cowboys HC)

Let me start by addressing the Mike McCarthy in the room. While he's not my cup of tea, he's getting a lot of buzz about a return to coaching. And his agreeability and experience could be attractive to a team like the Giants. Having said that, there's early buzz that New York could be the favorite to quickly get Stefanski to land on his feet after being fired by Cleveland. If that doesn't work out, I'd love what Chris Shula could do with this defensive front, and how his connections could help land an OC to develop the young core.

Tennessee Titans fire Brian Callahan

The first head coach fired in the 2025 season was Brian Callahan with the Titans, and it was essentially the franchise not delaying the inevitable. He went an abysmal 3-14 in his first season with the Titans, landed the No. 1 overall pick in Cam Ward, then proceeded to go 1-5 to start this season before he was ousted from Tennessee. In fact, you could make the argument that, despite an upgrade in quarterback talent, that the Titans looked even worse than the year prior with Callahan at the helm, which is never a good sign.

With Ward in the fold and some strong defensive pieces, the Titans roster isn't completely barren, though it certainly needs a lot of work. This coaching search has essentially been underway for almost three months at this point, so we already have a good idea of the direction for Tennessee in replacing Callahan. It does appear that they'll be targeting veterans in the business who also have strong connections to either successful franchises, successful head coaches, or both.

Possible Callahan replacements in Tennessee

1. Matt Nagy (Chiefs OC)
2. Lou Anarumo (Colts DC)
3. Vance Joseph (Broncos DC)

Matt Nagy has been the consistent drum beat connected to the Titans, and they've already put in an interview request for the Chiefs offensive coordinator and former Bears head coach. That's also true for Anarumo and Joseph, as well as the Chiefs defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo. I don't get the sense that Spags wants a head coaching job at this point, which is why he didn't make my top three potential replacements. Having said that, connects to Reid, Steichen and Sean Payton from this trio should be quite attractive for Tennessee as they invest in the future.