What you need to know about NFL head coach firings on Black Monday 2019

The 2019 offseason was a rough one for NFL head coaches. Eight teams — a quarter of the league — went looking for new play callers to replace inexperienced and veteran coaches alike.

The 2020 offseason probably won’t see as much turnover, but the coaching wheel started turning midseason. Washington showed Jay Gruden the door in October, while Carolina waited another eight weeks before canning Ron Rivera despite his 76-63-1 career record. More big names will follow — but they won’t include Adam Gase, Matt Patricia, or Dan Quinn.

Who is on the move? Here are the coaches and general managers who’ll be searching for new jobs this winter.

Head coaches who are gone

Pat Shurmur, Giants

Giants record: 9-23

Playoff record: 0-0

How’d they get here: Perhaps the only stat you need to know about Shurmur’s tenure in New York is that it ended with the same exact 9-23 record that got him fired in Cleveland seven years earlier. The veteran assistant was hired by the Giants to oversee the team’s transition from the Eli Manning era. While 2019 top draft pick Daniel Jones showed flashes of brilliance behind center this fall — he’s one of three rookies in NFL history to have three games with four or more touchdown passes — it wasn’t enough to keep his club from a 4-12 campaign.

The Giants ranked just 23rd in offensive efficiency, per DVOA, and fell to 27th on the defensive side of the ball thanks to a unit that allowed more than 28 points per game. That left little help for Jones, whose growth may have been ultimately stunted by a shoddy offensive line, a perpetually-hurt receiving corps, and a subpar season from Saquon Barkley, who dealt with injuries of his own throughout the year.

The end result was a team that failed to beat anyone who finished 2019 with a winning record. That was all owner John Mara needed to see from Shurmur, who’ll likely return to the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach ranks after his latest failed stint at a top job.

What’s next: The Giants need a head coach who can enhance all of Jones’ positive attributes while sorting out the problems that ultimately doomed his freshman campaign — namely the 17 fumbles the marred his 2019. Jones and Barkley are a solid young duo around which a new coach could build, but there are plenty of other problems that need to be addressed in northern New Jersey before this club looks like a contender again.

One early name to watch in the club’s coaching search is Baylor’s Matt Rhule.

New York will also have to make a decision regarding general manager Dave Gettleman. While his decision to swing for the fences and draft Jones (mostly) paid off, his other high profile acquisitions — namely left tackle/turnstile Nate Solder — have yet to provide ballast to the Giants’ sinking ship. A letter sent from team ownership to season ticket holders suggests Gettleman will remain with the club, but his position may be tenuous this offseason.

Shurmur inherited a bad team in 2018. Whomever takes over for him in 2020 will take over a roster that isn’t much better.

Freddie Kitchens, Browns

Browns record: 6-10

Playoff record: 0-0

How’d they get here: Cleveland knew it was taking a risk when it hired Kitchens. He had never been more than an interim coordinator at any level of football in his two decades as an assistant, and that came over a successful eight-game stint that closed out the Browns’ 2018 season.

That was enough to convince owner Jimmy Haslam to roll the dice and promote from within, but Kitchens was unable to handle his new title. Despite lofty expectations, Cleveland got off to a worse start in 2019 (2-6) than it did in 2018 before Hue Jackson’s firing (2-5-1). Baker Mayfield regressed badly in the process, even with the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. Shoddy blocking, questionable decision-making, and undisciplined play doomed the Browns to mediocrity. The end result? Cleveland’s 12th straight losing season.

What’s next: On paper, the Browns have one of the most appealing rosters in football. Mayfield, Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, and a healthy David Njoku give them one of the league’s strongest starting lineups of skill players. Myles Garrett was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate before whacking Mason Rudolph with his own helmet (his status for 2020 is still yet to be determined). Other players like Larry Ogunjobi, Joe Schobert, and Olivier Vernon could make up the backbone of an intimidating unit.

Alas, this is still the Browns. Anything that can go wrong does go wrong — and no coach has been able to escape that legacy since the franchise’s reintroduction to the NFL in 1999.

One early candidate on Cleveland’s radar is Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels,

Ron Rivera, Panthers

Panthers record: 76-63-1

Playoff record: 3-4 (one Super Bowl appearance, 0 wins)

How’d they get here: David Tepper waited more than a year to rebuild the Panthers in his image after purchasing the franchise in 2017. That included firing Rivera following an uneven start that’s doomed Carolina to its first back-to-back losing seasons since 2012.

Rivera stuck around after injuries to Cam Newton derailed his 2018 season, only to see another injury to his former MVP quarterback sidetrack 2019. He groomed second-year passer, Kyle Allen, into an above-average passer, but that success was fleeting as Carolina went from 0-2 to 4-2 and then the 5-7 start that precipitated Rivera’s ouster.

What’s next: Tepper held an hour-long town hall meeting after Rivera’s firing to discuss his plans for the team going forward. It sounds like he’s interested in someone built from the Sean McVay mold:

That new coach will have to figure out what to do at quarterback. That could mean with Newton — who’s suddenly become injury prone after turning 30 and could be released or traded with $2 million in dead cap behind — or a QB room otherwise built around Allen and Will Grier.

The Panthers are expected to interview Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Patriots OC Josh McDaniels for their vacant position.

Jay Gruden, Washington

Washington record: 35-49-1

Playoff record: 0-1 (0 Super Bowl appearances)

How’d they get here: Gruden managed to keep Washington mediocre despite years of roster mismanagement from his higher-ups. The former offensive coordinator followed Kirk Cousins out of the nation’s capital less than two years later after an 0-5 start in 2019. Gruden’s calling card was the ability to field an entirely forgettable team for the bulk of his Washington career; between 2015 and 2018 he never won more than nine games or lost more than seven.

What’s next: Washington is now in need of a nurturer who can turn Dwayne Haskins into the homegrown quarterback the franchise once hoped Cousins would be. While the rookie passer improved as the season went along, he was still the catalyst behind one of the league’s least efficient offenses, and it appears stalwart left tackle Trent Williams won’t be return to the team to keep him upright.

Washington’s head coach position may be the least appealing job in the NFL. It’s been 14 years since the team won a postseason game. Haskins and fellow 2019 draftee Terry McLaurin have made up a promising 1-2 punch to build from, but there’s not a lot of talent on this roster. More may be on the way — especially with a top-five pick looming — but keeping talented players both on the roster and healthy have never been a specialty under Dan Snyder.

The club’s top option, per reports, is Rivera.

General managers who are out

Bruce Allen, Washington

Washington record: 45-83

Playoff record: 0-1 (zero Super Bowl appearances)

How’d they get here: Gruden’s firing game way to Allen’s ouster months later. Although not yet official, reports about the longtime GM’s removal began to swirl in advance of his team’s final game of the season.

Allen’s inability to keep Washington stocked with talent played a major role in the team’s lack of playoff success in his eight years (2010-14, 2017-19) at the helm.

Allen was also the man in charge of the roster when Kirk Cousins played out his second year of the franchise tag and bolted to Minnesota. The former GM’s exit strategy was to trade for 34-year-old QB Alex Smith. Smith was merely average before a broken leg took him off the field (and continues to threaten his career), leaving Allen to rumble through a disappointing 2019 with Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, and rookie Dwayne Haskins in a 3-13 campaign.

What’s next: Owner Dan Snyder may be eager to promote from within.

Anyone capable of transforming this club into a playoff team would be in consideration for executive of the year honors.

Declared safe for 2020

Adam Gase, Jets

Gase’s first season in New York saw flashes of potential amidst a backdrop of darkness. Sam Darnold made modest improvements in his second year as a pro, but while the Jets have improved in the standings, they’re still leaps and bounds from contention.

The Jets found a way to lose to both the Jets and Bengals this season, but that wasn’t enough to convince team owner Christopher Johnson to cut Gase loose after one season.

Matt Patricia, Lions

Patricia’s hopeful start fell to pieces following Matthew Stafford’s season-ending back injury (and the team’s curious decision to trade secondary linchpin Quandre Diggs to Seattle). A 2-0-1 start crumbled into a 1-12 finish to push Detroit out of the playoff race and toward the top of the 2020 NFL Draft order.

One of Detroit’s biggest problems under Patricia has been a deficient defense. He and general manager Bob Quinn will return for 2020, but they’ll have a short leash if they can’t show explicit improvement next fall.

Dan Quinn, Falcons

Quinn turned up the heat on his own position after getting Atlanta out to a 1-7 start. Then the Falcons put together a 6-2 stretch that included wins over the Saints and 49ers to convince team owner Arthur Blank to keep Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff in town.

Former Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris will take over defensive coordinator duties, a move Blank hopes will upgrade the league’s 22nd-ranked scoring defense.