NFL news roundup: ‘Black Monday’ madness

Six head coaches were fired as part of “Black Monday” with multiple organizations now seeking culture changes.

Dec 31, 2013, 12:06 AM UTC

Dustin Bradford

James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.

Just as “Black Friday” sales are slowly creeping into Thanksgiving, so too are NFL teams are creeping forward with some of their “Black Monday” firings. The Cleveland Browns announced Sunday that Rob Chudzinski would not return in 2014, while four other coaches learned their fate on Monday.

Mike Shanahan fired by Redskins

The second firing of the day was arguable the largest. Long-standing rumors indicated that Shanahan and his staff would not return following a disappointing season, and those rang true with owner Daniel Snyder firing the former Super Bowl-winning head coach after four years.

Washington is wasting no time finding a replacement, with the team reportedly interested in former Bears head coach Lovie Smith and Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.

Leslie Frazier will not return to Vikings

Frazier was the first coach fired on Monday and drew some of the least surprise. An inability to find a reliable quarterback made his tenure in Minnesota difficult, and a while a strong finish to the season could have saved his job, the Vikings will go in a different direction.

There is no indication who the team will hire at this time.

Lions fire Jim Schwartz

A late-season collapse gave the Detroit Lions their fourth losing season in five years under Schwartz, resulting is his firing. The team will now move forward with a new coach, but not a new man in charge. General manager Martin Mayhew will return in 2014 and help choose the next head coach, an interesting choice given the team holds a losing record with him at the helm.

Greg Schiano fired by Buccaneers

It was unclear entering Monday if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would part ways with Greg Schiano, and the head coach was unprepared to be fired. He told members of the media Monday that he entered the day planning for 2014, and was quickly released along with general manager Mark Dominik.

Rumors swirling Monday about who could replace Schiano. Lovie Smith has been linked to the team, along with former Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. It will be an eventful offseason in Tampa Bay, to say the least.

Bill O’Brien expected to he hired by Texans

Along with the glut of Monday firings came one potential hire. Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien is expected to be named the fourth head coach in Houston Texans' history.

O’Brien was a long-standing assistant in New England before taking the helm of the Nittany Lions. He led the team to a 15-9 record in two years, despite dealing with severe scholarship sanctions.