Getty Mike McCarthy has been fired by the Packers.
The Green Bay Packers have fired head coach Mike McCarthy and named Joe Philbin the interim coach per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The firing comes after the Cardinals upset the Packers 20-17 in Week 13. Green Bay is just 4-7-1 this season. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Packers were planning on firing McCarthy even before today’s loss.
“The writing was on the wall for coach Mike McCarthy and losing to the Cardinals at home was the final straw. He won a Super Bowl, but Green Bay was already plotting to move on. Instead, they made an early call. He’s out and will be very desirable,” Rapoport tweeted.
Philbin is expected to be the Packers coach for the remainder of the season as Green Bay begins the search process. Rapoport calls Mccarthy a “highly desirable” coach for other NFL teams now that he is available. Schefter reported the move was made after the Packers loss, and the former head coach was surprised by the move.
“Packers brought in Mike McCarthy after the game and fired him; he was not expecting it, per source,” Schefter tweeted.
After the Packers most recent defeat, McCarthy seemed at a loss as to what to do with the team.
“I mean, I’ve never been in this spot,” McCarthy said per Pro Football Talk. “I’m not going to act like I know what the hell I’m going to do tomorrow when they get in here. So, we’re going to do what we always do, we’re going to represent the Packers the right way, I know that. Other than that, we’ll focus on what’s in front of us.”
McCarthy went 125-77-2 in his 13 seasons with the Packers. Packers president Mark Murphy released the following statement announcing McCarthy’s firing per NFL.com.
The 2018 season has not lived up to the expectations and standards of the Green Bay Packers. As a result, I made the difficult decision to relieve Mike McCarthy of his role as head coach, effective immediately. Mike has been a terrific head coach and leader of the Packers for 13 seasons, during which time we experienced a great deal of success on and off the field. We want to thank Mike, his wife, Jessica, and the rest of the McCarthy family for all that they have done for the Packers and the Green Bay and Wisconsin communities. We will immediately begin the process of selecting the next head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers have lost their last three games and five of their last six games. This will be the first time the Packers have had a head coaching opening in more than a decade. It is a highly coveted position in coaching circles.