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The playoff futures of 18 NFL franchises ended unceremoniously on Sunday, forcing a good number of head coaches onto golf courses and island vacations. It’s a brutal tradition known as Black Monday which leaves plenty of people without jobs after the last day of the regular season.
Who was immediately standing in the unemployment line? Well, the Arizona Cardinals parted ways with Kliff Kingsbury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He was fired less than 10 months after inking a contract extension. The Houston Texans handed Lovie Smith his walking papers on Sunday, while the Denver Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett on Christmas Day.
And there is a slew of assistant coaches on the hot seat, most notably in Cleveland where the Browns axed defensive coordinator Joe Woods after three seasons. There are a lot of confusing dominoes that are either falling or about to fall — The Sporting News has a good running tracker — but one interesting name to monitor through it all is New England Patriots assistant Jerod Mayo. He received multiple head-coaching looks in 2020 and 2021, including a lengthy one from the Philadelphia Eagles.
This puts the #Eagles in play for the DC if Jonathan Gannon was to leave for a HC job this offseason.
Team brass was very impressed with Mayo when they interviewed him for their HC vacancy two years ago. https://t.co/NJ52KgyndW
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) January 9, 2023
According to The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, Mayo would be a top candidate to take over as defensive coordinator in Philly if Gannon were to accept a head-coaching job somewhere else. The Browns have already requested permission to interview Mayo for their defensive coordinator vacancy, with many more teams expected to be blowing up his phone. Mayo has served as a trusted advisor to Bill Belichick since 2019 as inside linebackers coach. He has previously lamented not getting a “fair shake” at top jobs due to his lack of experience.
Jonathan Gannon, Shane Steichen Emerging
Gannon wowed the Houston Texans’ organization following two impressive interviews last season. Not only did the 40-year-old make a strong impression down there, but there is “mutual interest,” according to Aaron Wilson. Gannon also interviewed with the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings during the last hiring cycle. He’s widely considered a hot commodity for any opening.
Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen has also been getting head-coaching looks. He is being credited for developing Jalen Hurts into a legitimate MVP, with Heavy’s Matt Lombardo reporting that “there is a belief among at least one general manager and multiple front office executives around the league that Steichen will be one of the first head coaches hired.”
Based off my conversations with those close in the know, the two top names on #WeAreTexans radar:
#FlyEaglesFly DC Jonathan Gannon
#OnePride OC Ben Johnson
Eagles OC Shane Steichen and #BroncosCountry DC Ejiro Evero are two other names that’s floated around in conversation.
UPDATE: According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Texans have officially requested permission to interview Steichen. Gannon reportedly remains a front-runner in Houston and has scheduled an interview there (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).
Jalen Hurts Skips Off Day, Meets with Coaches
Jalen Hurts opted not to enjoy a scheduled off-day for players and coaches on Monday. He requested to come into the Eagles’ practice facility the day after the team clinched the NFC East to watch game tape with the coaching staff.
Head coach Nick Sirianni dropped the fascinating nugget about Hurts during his weekly appearance on Audacy’s SportsRadio 94WIP. Hurts was set to meet with Sirianni, along with offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, at 12 noon to analyze the film and correct mistakes from the team’s 22-16 win over New York.
Nick Sirianni gave everyone the day off today. But not so fast.
“Jalen said to me, ‘Hey let’s go watch some tape tomorrow.’ I said, ‘You got it.’
“So at 12 o’clock, me, him, Shane, and Brian Johnson are going to watch some tape together.”
