What is NFL Black Monday? All you need to know about dreaded post-Week 18 day for team personnel 

Week 18 is officially done and dusted which means a few NFL head coaches will be resting uneasily this Monday morning. The NFL has historically treated this day with caution given the amount of uncertainty around the league. There are 32 teams in the league, which means there's only room for as many coaches and general managers. Some of them will be shown the door today, some of them will live to fight another day.

While a section of the league is back in the office prepping for the playoffs, some coaches and GMs will have to pack up their offices in cardboard boxes and chart out the next step in their careers.

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What is NFL Black Monday?

The Monday that follows the end of the regular season is commonly referred to as Black Monday. This also marks the first day of the offseason for 18 NFL teams each year, teams that have some additional time to think about how to get back in the playoffs next year.

Per NBC Sports, the term originated in 1998 when the Associated Press, Houston Chronicle and New York Post all used the phrase in headlines on the Monday after the season ended. The term was initially used to a day when multiple college coaches were fired in the late 1990s.

The New England Patriots fired Jerod Mayo as head coach, and while that didn't come on a Monday, the one-and-done rookie coach got a little taste of what Black Monday feels like.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson became the first official victim of 2025's Black Monday after the franchise decided to part ways this morning.

"Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives," team owner Shad Khan said in a statement.

"As much as Doug and I both wish his experience here in Jacksonville would have ended better, I have an obligation first and foremost to serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded. In that spirit, the time to summon new leadership is now."

The Jaguars went 4-13 this year and struggled to put up a good product on the field despite a somewhat promising offseason. Rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was the lone bright spot in a season that ended with Trevor Lawrence needing surgery.

For a while, it appeared the New York Giants would also fire Brian Daboll. However, the franchise announced both Daboll and GM Joe Schoen will return in 2025.

We are yet to hear from the Las Vegas Raiders on the future of Antonio Pierce. Another situation up in the air is that of Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.