Rex Ryan was assured Sunday that he will be back as the Jets’ coach in 2014, but many of his head coaching peers weren’t so lucky the following day as four were axed by their respective teams on ‘Black Monday.’
The coaches — Mike Shanahan of the Redskins, Jim Schwartz of the Lions, Greg Schiano of the Buccaneers and Leslie Frazier of the Vikings — follow former Browns coach Rob Chudzinski, who given his pink slip Sunday following a season-ending loss to the Steelers. The Texans had fired coach Gary Kubiak earlier in December.
Shanahan’s exit comes a year after winning the NFC East title with rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. However, a 3-13 campaign spelled doom for the coach after four years with Washington.
Schwartz, whose Lions sat at 7-5 entering December with a chance to win the NFC North title, saw his team lose the final four games of the season to miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons at the helm in Detroit.
Schiano’s exit appeared imminent for much of the season as Tampa Bay went winless over the first half of the season. The Bucs then won four of their next five but could not keep the momentum going as they finished 4-12 in Schiano’s second season with the team.
Frazier guided the Vikings to a surprise playoff berth last season, but slumped again this season to a 5-10-1 record in the coach’s third full year at the helm in Minnesota.
