Black Monday Rumors: Which coaches are likely to be hired, fired?

With Black Monday only a day away, we take a look at the teams most likely to clean house in their coaching staffs and front offices in preparation for the 2016 season.

Author:
SI Wire
Publish date:
Jan 3, 2016

After Week 17 of the NFL season comes “Black Monday,” during which many teams part ways with coaches and general managers after subpar seasons. Here are the latest rumors on who is staying and who is going.

Cleveland Browns

The chances that head coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer will be back next season seem to be increasingly slim. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, while Pettine has not yet been fired, owner Jimmy Haslam has already made calls in search of a new coach. Teryl Austin, Adam Gase and Doug Marrone are expected to be among the coaches in play for the job.
Chip Kelly is also expected to be a candidate, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Detroit Lions

Lions owner Martha Ford is a fan of head coach Jim Caldwell and would like to retain him, but will let the new general manager make the final decision, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Lions fired general manager Martin Mayhew in early November.
Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will interview for the head coaching vacancies with the Browns and Dolphins, ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports.

Indianapolis Colts

Despite posting a 40–23 record as the head coach of the Colts the last four seasons—seven of those wins were actually coached by interim coach Bruce Arians—Chuck Pagano is likely to part ways with the team following the season, according to Rapoport.
The Colts are looking at Alabama coach Nick Saban as a potential replacement, according to multiple reports.

Miami Dolphins

Miami fired general manager Dennis Hickey on Sunday.
Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase is the Dolphins’ top candidate for their head coaching job, according to multiple reports.

New Orleans Saints

Coach Sean Payton is under contract with the Saints, but could be a candidate for other openings via trade. The Colts are expected to pursue Payton after firing Chuck Pagano, reports CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora.
If Peyton is fired, former Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone is expected to be a top target for the head coach job, reports Pro Football Talk.

New York Giants

Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, and head coach Tom Coughlin will meet Monday to discuss the coach’s future with the team, according to Rapoport. On Friday, Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reported that Coughlin is likely to resign on Monday.

Philadelphia Eagles

According to Schefter, Kansas City chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson is the leading candidate for the Philadelphia Eagles head coaching job .

San Francisco 49ers

After a disappointing season that will see the 49ers finish with their first losing record since 2010, the team fired first-year head coach Jim Tomsula. However, even with the failure of the coach hand-picked to replace Jim Harbaugh, general manager Trent Baalke is expected to be back next season.
Chip Kelly is under “strong consideration” to replace Tomsula, reports La Canfora.
The 49ers “are expected to explore” hiring Saints head coach Sean Peyton, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen report.