Fate Of Several NFL Coaches To Be Decided In Coming Days
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jack Del Rio and Chuck Pagano are already out. Todd Bowles, Adam Gase and Dirk Koetter are coming back.
Ben McAdoo is long gone.
The fate of several other NFL coaches could be determined in the next few days, maybe even the next few hours.
It's shaping up to be another "Black Monday" for the league. There have been at least six coaching changes every year since 2011, a streak that is expected to continue in 2018.
Here's a look at the teams considering moves, including those that already have made them:
ARIZONA: Bruce Arians declined to announce a decision on his future following a 26-22 victory at Seattle. There has been mounting speculation for weeks that Arians will leave the Cardinals (8-8) at end the end of the season. He was emotional and spoke with pride about his team's performance in the finale, which included winning a third straight game in Seattle.
"I'm not going to drag it out because it's not fair to people if I do decide," Arians said.
CHICAGO: John Fox refused to address his future following a lackluster loss at Minnesota. He left the podium after a brief and terse postgame news conference.
Fox is 14-34 in three seasons with the Bears (5-11). In his latest — and maybe last — loss, Chicago didn't cross midfield until the fourth quarter and totaled only 30 yards rushing. The Bears were penalized 10 times for 116 yards and were 1 of 14 on third and fourth downs.
CINCINNATI: Is Marvin Lewis really walking away after 15 seasons and 125 wins?
"I don't know that," Lewis said after his Bengals stunned Baltimore 31-27. "We'll see. There are decisions to be made. First, it would be ownership."
Lewis is scheduled to meet with owner Mike Brown to discuss his future.
"Yes, I want to coach this team," Lewis said. Asked if he would return if Brown asks him back, Lewis replied: "It's more complicated than that."
DENVER: Vance Joseph's team lost eight times by double digits and endured an eight-game losing streak — the franchise's longest in 50 years — in a 5-11 season. Joseph will meet with general manager John Elway to discuss his future Monday.
"I want to be here," Joseph said following a 27-24 loss to Kansas City. "It's a football team that's close. We have to make some adjustments in some places, but our football team all year has not stopped working. That was fun to see, even tonight. It's been a hard year, but everyone kept fighting. I want to be here to fix it."
DETROIT: Jim Caldwell gave the Lions (9-7) consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1995. It might not be enough to save his job. Caldwell is 36-28 in four years and has two playoff postseason appearances.
"I'm not done yet," Caldwell said after a 35-11 win against Green Bay.
HOUSTON: Bill O'Brien's first losing record (4-12) in four years hardly seems like a fire-able offense, especially considering season-ending injuries to dynamic quarterback Deshaun Watson and star pass rushers J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. But O'Brien is 31-33 with the Texans and reportedly doesn't get along with general manager Rick Smith, who announced after the finale that he's taking a leave of absence to help his wife, who is battling breast cancer. O'Brien has one year remaining on his contract and likely will get a chance to see what he can do in a full season with Watson.
INDIANAPOLIS: Pagano was fired Sunday , two hours after the Colts beat Houston in the finale. Indianapolis missed the playoffs each of the last three years, the first time that's happened since a seven-year drought from 1988 to 1994. The next coach surely will want to know more about the health and future of quarterback Andrew Luck.
OAKLAND: Del Rio was fired Sunday following a 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that capped a 6-10 season. Del Rio signed a four-year contract extension last February after Oakland ended a 13-year playoff drought with a 12-win season. The Raiders followed that successful campaign with a disappointing one. ESPN reported that the Raiders want to bring back former coach Jon Gruden.
NEW YORK GIANTS: McAdoo was the first coach fired in 2017 , let go Dec. 4 after a 2-10 start. His 28 games were the fewest for a Giants coach since 1930. New general manager Dave Gettleman, who replaced Jerry Reese, already has started cleaning house. Gettleman and the next coach will have to decide what to do with Eli Manning .
"This is where I want to play," Manning said. "This is like my family, the New York Giants has been. Hopefully they feel the same way and we can make that work out."
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