Black Monday: Who’s out around the NFL

While the rest of the country celebrates the start of a new year, non-playoff teams prepare for the darkest day of the NFL season: Black Monday.

Some coaches and general managers will be, or have been fired.

Some won’t.

Some new faces will emerge, some old faces may resurface (Tom Coughlin alert!) and some will simply be repackaged in different places. It’s the league’s really expensive version of musical chairs.

Check out who’s on the move and which Giants’ executives could be considered for vacancies below.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills fired head coach Rex Ryan the Tuesday before their season-finale against his old team, the New York Jets. They gave his brother, and defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan his pink slip and sat QB Tyrod Taylor for good measure. Offensive coordinator turned interim coach Anthony Lynn is said to be the front-runner for the job, according to Pro Football Talk.

Cleveland Browns

Rookie head coach Hue Jackson will be back, despite the Browns flirting with 0-16 before finally beating the San Diego Chargers Week 15. Jackson deserves that much, the Browns organization has been awful from the top-down for years. From Tim Couch, to Johnny Manziel, to Robert Griffin III and everything in between, the mess that’s been created in Cleveland won’t be fixed in a single season.

Denver Broncos

A season after winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos were bound to fall back to Earth in 2016. They finished this season a respectable 9-7, but head coach Gary Kubiak won’t be back on the sideline next season due to health concerns. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ contract expires after this season, and he may be on the move as well according to USA Today. Nothing’s imminent, but Phillips could emerge as a retread candidate for any of the coaching vacancies this winter.

Trio of Giants’ execs could be GM candidates

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VP of Player Personnel Marc Ross, Assistant General Manager Kevin Abrams and Director of Football Operations/Special Projects Martin Mayhew of the New York Giants could all be among candidates for vacant general manager jobs during this hiring cycle, according to Dan Hatman of Inside The Pylon.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars fired HC Gus Bradley 14 games into the season after a 2-12 start. Ex-Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin interviewed with the team last week, but reports suggest he isn’t likely to be Jacksonville’s pick. Coughlin coached the Jags from 1995 to 2002 going 68-60 and 4-4 in the playoffs. Coughlin has stated he’d be open to coaching again if the right situation presents itself, but as things stand today it doesn’t appear he’ll be returning to the sideline.

Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles is a fast-paced, win-now city. It isn’t an ideal place for a middling football team to relocate to — Hollywood fans aren’t packing a stadium to see a losing football team. It’s why Jeff Fisher (31-45-1 in five seasons with the team) was fired a few weeks after receiving a contract extension. Look for them to interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels sooner than later.

New York Jets

The Jets announced HC Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan will return next season after going 5-11 in 2016. There’d been speculation either or both could be out in New York after a turbulent season where their veteran players seemed to give up. If the Jets don’t get their quarterback situation figured out quick, Bowles and Maccagnan could be on borrowed time anyway.

San Diego Chargers

Going 5-11, and being the only team who lost to the Cleveland Browns is a good way to lose your job. The Chargers fired HC Mike McCoy immediately following their last game of the season, a 37-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Much is still up in the air regarding where the team will play next season and quarterback Phillip Rivers is 14-years in. It’s too early yet to gauge prospective candidates for the Chargers.

San Francisco 49ers

From the breakdown between the organization and Jim Harbaugh to a couple of one-and-done head coaches in Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, the 49ers are in complete disarray. Kelly and GM Trent Baalke were both fired Sunday, after a disastrous 2-14 season.