Rex Ryan firing highlights NFL's "Black Monday" for coaches
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The NFL's "Black Monday," when more than a few head coaches are given their walking papers after the end of regular season, kicked off in 2014 with the firing of longtime New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan.
Ryan and general manager John Idzik were let go after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.
In addition to the Jets, the owners of the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears announced they were making changes at the top of their organization.
With the Jets (4-12) failing to make the postseason for the fourth straight season, owner Woody Johnson opted to clean house Monday and start fresh with a new coach and GM.
Ryan was 50-52, including 4-2 in the postseason in his six seasons with the Jets.
But after taking them to a pair of AFC Championship games in his first two seasons -- going 9-7 and 11-5 -- the Jets failed to make the playoffs the past four, reports CBSSports.com's Michael Hurcomb. A pair of 8-8 campaigns (2011, 2013) were the best the Jets could do under Ryan after the initial playoff runs.
His first few years were filled with guarantees, bold statements and two impressive playoff runs to the AFC title game. But in the end, there were not enough wins to back up all the big talk.
Idzik lasted just two seasons after replacing the fired Mike Tannenbaum in 2013. He was heavily criticized this year for questionable personnel decisions in the NFL draft and free agency.
The Chicago Bears fired their head coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery after a brutally disappointing season, reports Igor Mello of CBSSports.com.
Mello writes: "Under Trestman, Chicago disintegrated in 2014 to a 5-11 finish, which was the franchise's worst single-season mark in ten seasons. In two years with the Bears, Trestman went 13-19, with no playoff appearances. He is the first Bears coach to be fired after only two seasons."
Bears GM Emery was with the team for three seasons until Monday, having hired Trestman following the firing of Lovie Smith, who is currently the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Atlanta Falcons let go of Mike Smith, their head coach for the last seven years.
CBSSports.com NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reports that even though the Falcons were vying for a playoff spot in the final week of the season, Falcons' management had already decided it was time to move on.
Smith went 66-46 in his seven seasons as the Falcons coach. He took Atlanta to the playoffs four times, but the last two seasons the Falcons missed the playoffs and were under .500. Smith was 1-4 in the playoffs as the Falcons coach.
On Sunday evening, the 49ers announced they had parted ways with head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Harbaugh will not fulfill the final season of his $25 million, five-year contract to coach the 49ers that he signed in January 2011. He and the team reached a mutual agreement to part ways.
The announcement came after Sunday's 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals, capping an 8-8 season in which San Francisco had hoped to establish some momentum in new $1.3 billion Levi's Stadium.
"It's been the time of my life," Harbaugh said. "Been a lot of great memories, great moments. ... It's been a tremendous four years, it's been a pleasure to work and serve for this organization. I feel great about what we accomplished."
There have been persistent reports that Harbaugh is about to accept the job at his alma mater, Michigan, although he only offered vague hints about the move Sunday and said he wouldn't be around come Monday.
When asked specifically about taking over the Wolverines program, he said, "There will be announcements made concerning those things."