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How NFL Black Monday 2023 unfolded

By Katie McInerney, Andrew Mahoney, Christopher Price and Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated January 10, 2023, 4:20 p.m.
Kliff Kingsbury is out after 4 seasons in Arizona.Jed Jacobsohn/Associated Press

As the 2022 NFL regular season comes to a close, a number of coaches lost their jobs.

We tracked the firings for teams across the league, and interview requests for coaches. Here’s what you need to know.

Which teams have vacancies?

Head coach

  • Arizona Cardinals: Kliff Kingsbury is out of a job, according to multiple reports. The Cardinals, 4-13, lost Kyler Murray to a torn ACL suffered against the Patriots in December, but the team wasn’t meeting expectations far before then. Kingsbury is out a year after signing an extension through 2027.
  • Houston Texans: Texans coach Lovie Smith was canned after going 3-13-1 in his only season, and had reportedly spent time with team owner Cal McNair to make his case to remain in charge. Houston went through two coaches in two years, both of them among the only Black head coaches in the league.
  • Denver Broncos: Denver fired Nathaniel Hackett on Dec. 26, when the Broncos fell to 4-11 despite signing Russell Wilson in the offseason. It was Hackett’s first season as an NFL head coach after coming to Denver from Green Bay, where he was the Packers’ offensive coordinator. Jerry Rosburg took over as interim. Denver finished 5-12.
  • Indianapolis Colts: Indianapolis fired Frank Reich, who was hired in 2018 after helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl as offensive coordinator, in November. The Colts have been in disarray, jumping around at quarterback with Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger, and Nick Foles throughout the season while muddling through to a 4-12-1 finish. Colts legend Jeff Saturday took over as interim coach.
  • Carolina Panthers: Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule in October after the team got out to a 1-4 start. Rhule joined the Panthers in January 2020 after spending much of his career in the college ranks (he has since returned, taking over at Nebraska). Interim coach Steve Wilks helped the Panthers finish 7-10.

General manager

  • Arizona Cardinals: Steve Keim, who held the role of GM since 2013, is stepping away, the team announced Monday, due to health reasons. Keim had taken a medical leave of absence last month.
  • Tennessee Titans: Ownership fired general manager Jon Robinson in December, after 7 seasons in Nashville. In his tenure, the Titans never finished worse than 9-7 record, going 69-47.

Coordinators

  • Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator: Joe Woods was fired on Monday morning. Read more here.
  • Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator: Dean Pees, 73, announced he intends to retire.
  • Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator: Todd Downing, who just finished his second season as offensive coordinator for the Titans, has been fired, according to multiple reports.
  • Washington Commanders offensive coordinator: Scott Turner, the OC for the past three seasons, has been fired, according to a report.

[ NFL playoff schedule: The wild-card round is set; see the matchups ]

Whose future is in question?

  • Sean McVay: The 36-year-old wunderkind led the Rams to a Super Bowl win last season. On Sunday, Las Angeles finished 5-12, the worst season in NFL history by a defending champion. ESPN reported Saturday that McVay’s future in Los Angeles may be in question. McVay’s future has become an annual topic of speculation because of his acknowledgement of late-season burnout and his open interest in an easier life away from the coaching grind. McVay, who turns 37 on Jan. 24, got married last year and has said he would consider leaving coaching to raise a family.
  • Jim Harbaugh: the Michigan coach is reportedly interviewing for the Broncos job, and has reportedly been in contact with the Panthers. He issued a tepid statement on Thursday — “no one knows what the future holds.” Michigan could also be facing NCAA sanctions.
  • Sean Payton: The former Saints coach, who was set to join the Dolphins amid Tom Brady’s retirement/unretirement saga, is still under contract with New Orleans. But the Broncos were granted permission to interview him for their head-coaching role.

Latest updates | Tuesday

Commanders fire their OC — 4:15 p.m.

Scott Turner is out in Washington. He held the role of offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.

Panthers looking at Ben Johnson, Shane Steichen — 2:32 p.m.

The Panthers have requested permission to interview four different NFL offensive coordinators for their head coaching vacancy, including Philadelphia’s Shane Steichen, Buffalo’s Ken Dorsey, Detroit’s Ben Johnson and the New York Giants’ Mike Kafka, according to the Associated Press.

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The team also conducted an interview with former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell on Monday.

Panthers looking at Giants OC — 7:00 a.m.

Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka could be interviewing for the Panthers’ head-coaching job, according to NFL Network. Carolina has requested an interview.

Latest updates | Monday

Carolina reportedly pursuing Frank Reich, Ken Dorsey — 11:54 p.m.

According to Albert Breer of MMQB.com, the Panthers have requested to interview Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey for the their head coaching job. And according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Frank Reich is scheduled to interview for the Carolina job as well.

Colts reportedly pursuing three names for HC job — 7:52 p.m.

According to ESPN, the Colts are interested in speaking with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

Jeff Saturday, currently the interim head coach, also figures to be part of the conversation as well.

Ex-Patriots exec Monti Ossenfort emerges as GM candidate — 5:15 p.m.

Monti Ossenfort, who was with the Patriots from 2006-19 before joining the Titans as director of player personnel in 2020, will be a candidate for the general manager job in Tennessee, according to NFL Network.

The Cardinals are also looking to interview Ossenfort for their open GM position.

Titans fire their offensive coordinator — 5:00 p.m.

Todd Downing, who just finished his second season as offensive coordinator for the Titans, has been fired, according to multiple reports.

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Four other coaches on Tennessee’s staff have also been canned.

The Titans lost seven straight games to finish the season 7-10 and outside the playoffs.

Five names emerge as candidates for Texans head coach — 4:15 p.m.

ESPN and NFL Network have some names to watch for the open job in Houston:

  • DeMeco Ryans, 49ers defensive coordinator
  • Jonathan Gannon, Eagles defensive coordinator
  • Shane Steichen, Eagles offensive coordinator
  • Ejiro Evero, Broncos defensive coordinator
  • Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator

Titans interested in Cards VP — 3:00 p.m.

NFL Network reports the Titans would like to bring Quentin Harris, the Cardinals’ vice president of player personnel, in for an interview for Tennessee’s general manager opening.

Harris is also reportedly in the mix for the Cardinals’ GM role, which is open because of the departure of Steve Keim.

49ers execs getting interviews — 2:45 p.m.

ESPN reports two San Francisco executives — director of pro personnel Ran Carthon and assistant GM Adam Peters — have been requested for interviews with the Cardinals and the Titans.

Bills exec in the mix for Titans GM job — 2:00 p.m.

NFL Network reports Malik Boyd, currently the Bills’ senior director of pro personnel, will interview in Tennessee.

The Titans are searching for a GM after firing Jon Robinson in December, after 7 seasons in Nashville. In his tenure, the Titans never finished worse than 9-7 record, going 69-47.

Another name on the Browns’ list for DC — 1:45 p.m.

NFL Network reports the Browns would like to interview Sean Desai, an associate head coach on the Seahawks’ staff, for their defensive coordinator role.

Browns want to talk with Brian Flores — 12:25 p.m.

Brian Flores, who was hired by Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh after getting fired by the Dolphins last season, might interview with the Browns for Cleveland’s defensive coordinator position.

Flores, a former Patriots assistant, was working with Steelers linebackers as a senior defensive assistant.

Cleveland has requested an interview with Flores, according to ESPN.

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Tomlin was asked about Flores during his press conference on Monday. He declined to say which team had requested an interview: “It’s out there on the streets.”

Cardinals also lose GM Steve Keim — 12:20 p.m.

Steve Keim is stepping away, the team announced Monday, due to health reasons. Keim had taken a medical leave of absence last month.

The 50-year-old Keim had been with the Cardinals since 1999 and has served as the team’s general manager since 2013.

Cardinals fire Kliff Kingsbury — 11:55 a.m.

Kliff Kingsbury is out of a job, according to multiple reports. The Cardinals, 4-13, lost Kyler Murray to a torn ACL suffered against the Patriots in December, but the team wasn’t meeting expectations far before then. Kingsbury is out a year after signing an extension through 2027.

Kingsbury took over in Arizona in January 2019, straight from the college ranks. He led his alma mater, Texas Tech, from 2013 through the 2018 season. He joined the staff at USC as defensive coordinator but left within a month for the NFL.

Falcons’ defensive coordinator retiring — 11:30 a.m.

Dean Pees, 73, is stepping away from coaching, the team announced Monday. Read more here.

Jerod Mayo could interview with Browns — 11:20 a.m.

Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo has been a name to watch this cycle. It seems he already has some interest.

ESPN and NFL Network report the Browns have requested an interview with Mayo for their vacant defensive coordinator role.

Cleveland (7-10) fired Joe Woods after three seasons as DC.

Broncos look to interview Rams, 49ers defensive coordinators — 11:00 a.m.

Sean McVay’s future in Los Angeles is in doubt after the Rams wrapped up the worst season in NFL history by a defending Super Bowl champion.

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Now, another key piece could be on the move.

The Broncos are requesting permission to interview Raheem Morris for their head coaching position, according to ESPN.

The Broncos are also requesting an interview with the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, DeMeco Ryans.

San Francisco, which finished 13-4, holds the No. 2 seed in the NFC. It will face off against Seattle in the wild-card round on Saturday. (See the full schedule here.)

Broncos request interview with Dan Quinn — 10:30 a.m.

Dan Quinn, who joined the Cowboys as defensive coordinator in 2021 after six seasons leading the Falcons, has been targeted as another candidate for the Broncos’ head-coaching position.

The Broncos have requested to interview Quinn, according to multiple reports.

Browns fire defensive coordinator — 6:30 a.m.

Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods, heavily criticized for a unit that underperformed, dealt with numerous injuries and didn’t always complement Cleveland’s offense, will not return for a fourth season.

The Browns (7-9) missed the playoffs for the second straight year. Cleveland’s defense had issues from the start this season with communication breakdowns in the secondary over the first few weeks leading to easy touchdowns. The Browns blew a 13-point lead in the final two minutes in a Week 2 loss to the New York Jets.

The Browns were also hit hard by injuries, especially at linebacker as starters Anthony Walker Jr., Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Jacob Phillips, and Sione Takitaki all sustained season-ending injuries.

Latest updates | Sunday

Lovie Smith fired after one season in Houston — 11:00 p.m.

The Texans coach was canned after going 3-13-1 in his only season, and had reportedly spent time with team owner Cal McNair to make his case to remain in charge. Houston went through two coaches in two years, both of them among the only Black head coaches in the league.

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Now, former Patriot exec Nick Caserio, the general manager in Houston, will lead a search. The Texans have the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft after beating the Colts on Sunday in their season finale.

Caldwell, Reich interviewing in Carolina — 1:30 p.m.

Jim Caldwell and Frank Reich — both former Colts head coaches — are interviewing for the open Panthers job, according to Pro Football Talk. Read more here.

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Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com. Follow her @k8tmac. Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney. Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him @cpriceglobe. Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.

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