Black Monday has officially arrived for the 2022 NFL season. This is defined as the first Monday of the year that immediately follows the conclusion of the regular season.
With Week 18 officially on the books, all teams eliminated from the NFL Playoffs may now begin their offseason process. This includes this entire week, including Black Monday, when many coaches are fired by their NFL teams.
Several teams fired their head coaches during the course of the 2022 season. The list includes Matt Rhule with the Carolina Panthers, Nathaniel Hackett with the Denver Broncos, and Frank Reich with the Indianapolis Colts.
Other teams have waited for the regular season to officially conclude. The process has already started, as the Houston Texans have fired Lovie Smith and the Arizona Cardinals fired Kliff Kingsbury.
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This is likely just the beginning of coaching fires around the league. Many more will likely arise over the next few days as teams continue to look towards their future development. Here are three of the most notable coaches currently in the hot seat that could potentially be fired this week.
#1 - Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels was hired prior to the start of the 2022 NFL season to take over as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after an extremely successful run as the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots.
The 46-year-old came in with high expectations, especially since the Raiders made it to the NFL Playoffs last year.
The Raiders also added Davante Adams and Chandler Jones during the offseason, further raising their expectations. They ended up being one of the most disappointing teams in the league this year, posting just a 6-11 record. While it's uncommon to fire a coach after just one season in a new position, it's already happened twice this year with Lovie Smith and Nathaniel Hackett.
#2 - Ron Rivera
Ron Rivera spent the first nine years of his head coaching career with the Carolina Panthers. He won a solid 55 percent of his games, while helping make an appearance in the Super Bowl. His three years with the Washington Commanders have been a bit less successful.
Rivera has posted just a 22-27-1 record with his new team, while failing to post a single winning season. While he helped them reach the NFL Playoffs last year, they collapsed late in the 2022 season and missed out on returning. Hence, Commanders are likely to explore other options.
#3 - Dennis Allen
Dennis Allen received his first opportunity at being an NFL head coach in 2012 with the Oakland Raiders. He posted a miserable 8-28 overall record before being fired.
He has served as the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints since then, but was promoted to their head coach prior to the 2022 NFL season. He replaced Sean Payton, who suddenly retired.
Allen's first season in his new position was disappointing. He posted just a 7-10 record, despite being expected to be a playoff contender. His career record now sits at an alarming 15-38 overall. He could potentially join the trending list of head coaches being fired this year after just one year in their new position.
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