Black Monday is one of the worst (or best, depending on how you look at it) days on the NFL calendar. For those of you who aren’t aware of the term, Black Monday refers to the Monday after Week 18, when most head coaches are fired. You might have a couple of strays that stick around for a couple more days, but most teams want to turn their attention to hiring their next leaders as soon as possible.

With Black Monday just hours away, I won’t be doing what everyone else is doing and predicting who will go. Instead, I will be identifying who should go. There will be plenty of coaches who stick around who do not deserve to get another year, so I’m going to call them out and give my reasoning for why they should be fired.

Bad Coach, Bad Team

Starting with some of the obvious names, here are a few coaches leading struggling teams who I expect to be fired (along with two who probably won’t be).

Jonathan Gannonis the first name on this list. He was brought in to be this defensive guru, but that just has not panned out. The Arizona Cardinals have struggled during Gannon’s tenure, and the worst part is that it’s HIS defense that’s hurting them the most, giving up over 28 points per game. Gannon is a dead man walking, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s fired this afternoon.

Pete Carroll doesn’t deserve to be in this tier for his historical accomplishments, but his coaching performance this season has been subpar. The Las Vegas Raiders have played uninspired football all season long, and it just feels like bringing in a 74-year-old to lead a rebuild was malpractice. Carroll’s best coaching days are gone. He is no longer an NFL-quality head coach.

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This might be a bit bold since he coached in a Super Bowl not too long ago, but I think Zac Taylor needs to go. What the Cincinnati Bengals have become since that Super Bowl appearance is just embarrassing. They made the AFC Championship in 2022, but have failed to make the playoffs every year since then. I know Joe Burrow’s injuries haven’t helped, but he’s failed to build an even halfway decent defense, and his offenses have fallen flat at times. I know the players want him to stick around, but in my opinion, he should go. He’s not getting them over the hump.

I’m not a fan of firing a coach after one season, especially one who inherited the dumpster fire that is the New York Jets, but I just don’t think Aaron Glenn is going to be a great head coach. If his first season is any indication of the future, the Jets aren’t making the playoffs anytime soon. He’s a great defensive coordinator, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think he’s the right guy to lead a rebuild. Maybe it’s just because I don’t like how he acts to the media – he just seems like a bit of a jerk – but I don’t see him being the right guy in New York. He’d probably do better in somewhere like Cleveland or Cincinnati, where he’s not under the bright spotlight.

Bad Coaches Who Will Likely Stick Around After Mediocre Campaigns

This tier is reserved for coaches who have put together a good enough season to potentially keep their job, but ultimately shouldn’t be returning in 2025.

Raheem Morris is just so uninspiring. Yes, he’s gone 8-9 in his first two years, which is far from a fireable offense, but when you really look at it, should he really keep his job? In 2024, Morris’ Falcons started the year hot, starting 6-3 before losing six of their last eight games, with their only wins coming against the Raiders and Giants. In 2025, it was the opposite. The Falcons started 4-9 and were eliminated from playoff contention before winning their final four games of the season. First, he can’t finish a season, then he can’t get started on the right foot. I just don’t believe he’s a great head coach. Some guys are just meant to be coordinators.

Todd Bowles is another guy I think should be fired, especially now that his Tampa Bay Buccaneers have missed the playoffs. I know he made the postseason in each of his first three seasons, but he won one game during that span with a roster that’s pretty damn good. Injuries got the best of them this year, but that’s no excuse to lose seven of your last nine and lose the division to the Panthers of all teams.

Mike McDaniel is another guy who just seems destined to be a coordinator forever. He is such a brilliant offensive mind, but his nerdy schtick doesn’t hit the same when the Miami Dolphins are losing. It seems to be a coin flip on whether or not he’ll be fired on Monday, and while I think there are worse head coaches out there, I don’t know if I want McDaniel leading the charge. But it’s hard to fire such a great offensive play caller in today’s league.

Playoff Coaches Who Should Be Fired, But Won’t Be

This tier is going to ruffle some feathers, but I’m not here to be Mr. Nice Guy.

Matt LaFleur doesn’t NEED to go, but I don’t think he needs to stay either. The Green Bay Packers have underperformed ever since their back-to-back NFC Championship game losses in LaFleur’s first two seasons. Since 2021, the Packers have made the postseason three times (not including 2025) and have failed to make it back to the NFC Championship game.

They have also failed to hit the 10-win mark in three of their last five years, despite having a very strong roster. I already wasn’t a big LaFleur fan, but this last month stretch, where the Packers have lost their last four games, certainly hasn’t helped (and I know Jordan Love has been out, but quarterback was not their biggest issue in those losses).

I saved my hottest take for last, and I know Pittsburgh Steelers fans swear by him, but Mike Tomlin, it’s time to go (I’m writing and posting this before Sunday Night Football, so if you read this on Monday and the Steelers lost, don’t come at me). Tomlin was a great coach for Pittsburgh for a long time, but the bar in Pittsburgh is now just a playoff berth. Nothing more is expected of them each year. As long as he gets in, it doesn’t matter what he does, and that’s a problem.

For arguably the most storied franchise in the NFL, the bar needs to be a Super Bowl. Not just a playoff berth. Steelers fans have accepted mediocrity because they love the “we haven’t had a losing season since Tomlin took over” stat, but the fact of the matter is, you have. There’s only one winner at the end of each year, and that’s the Super Bowl champion. And the fact that the standard in Pittsburgh is no longer winning championships is sad.