Black Monday: Chargers fire Anthony Lynn. Jaguars drop Doug Marrone. John Elway taking new role.
Posted: 2021-01-04

The Los Angeles Chargers announced they have fired coach Anthony Lynn, the latest domino to fall in the Black Monday coaching cycle that marks the end of the NFL regular season.

The Chargers announced the move Monday on social media and said they will begin their search for a replacement immediately.

"This morning I informed Anthony Lynn that we have made the decision to part ways with him as our head coach," Chargers owner Dean Spanos said Monday in a statement. "I'm not sure there is another person in this league more respected as a human being than Anthony, and I want to sincerely express my deepest gratitude for his leadership during a time of great change for our organization."

The Chargers finished the year strong, with four consecutive victories, including three in the division, to end up with a 7-9 record. Lynn had signed a one-year contract extension this offseason, but ends his four-year run with the franchise with a 33-31 record after only one playoff appearance.

After posting a 12-4 record and a second place finish in the AFC West in 2018, Lynn led the Chargers to a victory against the Ravens in the wild card round before being eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

"As we all know, this is a results-driven business and, simply put, the results of the past two years have fallen short of expectations," Spanos continued. "Moving forward, we will redouble our efforts to both build and maintain a championship-caliber program. We have been innovative in many facets of our organization in recent years, and we need to carry that over to our entire operation."

John Elway to take on different role in Denver

The Denver Broncos announced Monday that John Elway will take on a new role with the franchise, but will continue to serve as the president of football operations. The team, however, will be signing a general manager who "will have final say on the draft, free agency and our roster."

The new general manager and head coach Vic Fangio will report to Elway in the revised structure. Elway said Fangio will be involved in the hiring of the new general manager.

Jaguars fire Doug Marrone

The Jaguars fired Marrone on the heels of Sunday's 28-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, which closed out a 1-15 campaign, Marrone’s third consecutive losing season. An exciting 2017 Jaguars squad advanced to the conference championship in Marrone’s first full year as head coach, finishing the regular season 10-6.

"I am committed and determined to deliver winning football to the City of Jacksonville," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. "Realizing that goal requires a fresh start throughout our football operations, and with that in mind I spoke this morning with Doug to express my gratitude for his hard work over the past four seasons as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.'' 

Lions set to interview Chiefs' Bieniemy, other candidates for head coach and GM positions

The Detroit Lions have a full plate of interviews scheduled for this week, including with the top offensive and defensive assistant coaches on the market.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is interviewing for the Lions head coaching job Monday, Sports Illustrated reported, the first of at least nine coach and GM candidates the team will sit down with over the next seven or so days.

Bieniemy, a former NFL running back, is in his third season as Chiefs offensive coordinator. He does not call plays in Kansas City, but has helped oversee the rise of the NFL's best offense and the development of MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

— Dave Birkett

Urban Meyer a possible option for the Jaguars?

Though it has been reported that the Jaguars have shown interest in former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to replace Marrone, Khan said he has not met with him or anyone else regarding the coaching vacancy.

''Obviously, I've known Urban over the years through the Big Ten and what have you, but we have not spoken to anyone about this job or interviewed them,'' Khan said. ''This is something I just made the decision this morning (Monday).''

— John Reid

Jets fire coach Adam Gase after 2 tumultuous seasons

The Jets fired Adam Gase Sunday night, ending a tumultuous two-year tenure that brought the franchise to one of the lowest points in its history.

The move, which has been expected for months, leaves the Jets looking for their third new coach in the past six years. Jets acting owner Christopher Johnson issued a statement Sunday night saying in part "it's clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction."

— Andy Vasquez