5 NFL head coaches who won't survive Black Monday
By Scott Rogust
The 2023 NFL regular season will officially end once the game clock ticks all the way to zero during the Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills matchup on Sunday night. With that, the playoff field will be set, and the road to Super Bowl 58 officially opens up. While 14 teams battle for a chance to win the Lombardi Trophy, the remaining 18 will evaluate their organizations.
Every year, the Monday after the conclusion of the NFL season sees teams make changes at the head coaching position. As in, teams opt to fire their current head coaches to go in a different direction and hope for better results. In the NFL, this is known as "Black Monday."
Before the season ended, three teams opted to fire their head coaches -- the Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Los Angeles Chargers. But the list of coaching vacancies are bound to grow on Monday.
Here are five head coaches who will likely be handed their walking papers on Monday.
Ron Rivera will reportedly be let go on Monday
Prior to kickoff on Sunday, a report dropped about one head coach who will likely be fired on Monday, and that's Ron Rivera of the Washington Commanders.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that the Commanders were expected to move on from Rivera on Monday. This would bring an end to his four-year tenure with the organization and his second head coaching gig.
The Commanders hired Rivera in 2020 to help turn the team's luck around on the field. The Commanders won the NFC East in his first season on the job, but lose in the Wild Card Round. Since, the Commanders haven't made it back to the playoffs. Not just that, but Washington has never had a winning record in all four seasons with Rivera leading on the sidelines. Overall, Rivera holds a 26-39-1 record entering the season-finale.
In 2023, the Commanders are 4-12 entering their season-finale against the Dallas Cowboys. They were eliminated from playoff contention, and are set to pick in the Top 5 in the 2024 NFL Draft. Rivera won't be part of the team entering the 2024 league year.