NFL Black Monday winners and losers: Giants’ Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen keep jobs; mixed bag for New York fans

The Monday after the final day of the NFL regular season is usually dramatic. Franchises that have missed the postseason will make decisions on head coaches and general managers. The event has been dubbed “Black Monday,” as the coaching carousel begins to spin.

We saw more decision-makers be retained rather than fired on Monday, as Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson was the lone coach to be handed his walking papers. The New England Patriots, on the other hand, didn’t even wait until Monday, as they fired head coach Jerod Mayo shortly after he guided his team to victory over the Buffalo Bills. 

Who were the winners and losers from Monday? Let’s take a look. 

Winner: Any and every head-coaching candidate

If you haven’t received your interview request to speak with the New York Jets yet, it’s probably in the mail. So far, the Jets have interviewed Mike Vrabel and Ron Rivera for their head coach opening, but they reportedly have requested/have interest in Joe Brady, Vance Joseph, Bobby Slowik, Aaron Glenn, Brian Flores, Brian Griese, Rex Ryan, Arthur Smith, Josh McCown and Matt Nagy.

It appears Woody Johnson and Co. are going to talk to EVERYBODY, so if you’re a head coach in waiting, you’re going to get your shot to wow New York’s search committee. One coach who we didn’t list, however, is Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Some fans in Indy were hoping for change following a disappointing 8-9 campaign. Not everyone was picketing outside of team headquarters asking for the firing of head coach Shane Steichen, but many would have guessed general manager Chris Ballard was on the outs. Instead, Jim Irsay released a statement on Sunday night saying he still believed in his general manager. 

Since taking over as the Colts GM in 2017, Ballard’s teams have won just one playoff game, and he’s failed to win the AFC South a single time. To put that into perspective, the rival Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have all won the division at least TWICE since Ballard was hired.

Winner: Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen

It appeared the 2024 season was going to be a turning point for the New York Giants. After allowing Saquon Barkley to join the Philadelphia Eagles and rush for 2,000 yards, the Giants went 3-14 and parted ways with quarterback Daniel Jones in the middle of the year. You would think Giants owner John Mara was prepared to clean house, but instead he decided to be patient with his general manager and former NFL Coach of the Year. Daboll and Schoen can breathe a sigh of relief, but there’s no doubt this team has to improve.

Loser: New York Giants fans

While Daboll and Schoen are winners, those who follow the Giants are losers. Fans were surely hoping for sweeping changes following a disastrous campaign, and it’s fair to ask if the current regime can even build a culture of success. Giants legend Tiki Barber warned fans recently not to obsess about who the next quarterback is going to be, because no young quarterback can thrive in a terrible situation.

Winner: Alabama football

How could Alabama be a winner on NFL “Black Monday?” Well, its future offensive coordinator may have been fired today. The Seattle Seahawks parted ways with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after just one season. His unit finished 14th in total offense, but 18th in points per game and 28th in rushing. 

Grubb found success with current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer during their time together at the University of Washington, as the Huskies made the College Football Playoff National Championship game with Michael Penix Jr. and Rome Odunze. Grubb has coached at a whopping four schools alongside DeBoer. Could they make it five? 

Loser: Jacksonville Jaguars fans

The Jaguars made the unsurprising decision to part ways with Doug Pederson after he went 22-29 over three seasons. What was surprising, however, is that the Jaguars are retaining general manager Trent Baalke. 

Baalke has been the Jaguars GM since 2021, and he’s made the playoffs just once with one postseason victory. It would have been understandable if Jacksonville decided to part ways with Baalke (if not preferred by the fanbase), but the problem with keeping him is it makes this open Jaguars job less attractive. The top dogs on the coaching carousel, like Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel, are going to want to be in complete alignment with the general manager. Shad Khan is attempting to switch up the power structure a bit, with the new head coach reporting directly to him instead of Baalke, but does that really help?

Winner: Mike McCarthy

Entering this season, we viewed the Dallas Cowboys head coach as virtually “pre-fired.” McCarthy had just one more year remaining on his deal, and his team didn’t do much in free agency. However, even after a 7-10 season, Jerry Jones isn’t ready to make a decision on McCarthy’s future. 

If McCarthy isn’t welcomed back to Dallas, maybe he can coach Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. On Monday, the Bears sought permission to interview McCarthy, and are awaiting the Cowboys’ response to the request, according to ESPN. An interview request doesn’t guarantee anything, but it shows there will be some interest in McCarthy if he’s allowed to walk.

Loser: ‘Black Monday’ drama

I’m sure I wasn’t alone in expecting to wake up this morning, check my phone and see that the NFL world was on absolute fire. I even dreamed of the notifications: “The Titans just cleaned house!” “The Las Vegas Raiders are starting all over and opening the door for Deion Sanders!” Ultimately, Monday was underwhelming. 

Now, it’s not nice to root for people to lose their jobs, but historically, this day has been a dramatic one. This year, it was forgettable.