The NFL season ended on Sunday, and while 12 teams and their coaches are celebrating playoff bids, 6 less fortunate coaches have been let go by their teams after the 2018 season’s end.
Perhaps the most notable firing was of Marvin Lewis, who spent 16 years at the helm of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals, a perennial loser before Lewis’s arrival in the Queen City, made the playoffs 7 times and won 4 AFC North titles in Lewis’s tenure, but never advanced past the Wild Card round.
A decision that caught many by surprise was the firing of Adam Gase by the Miami Dolphins. Although the team made the playoffs in his first year in Miami back in 2016, two straight losing seasons in 2017 and 2018 sealed his fate.
Another third-year coach that was sacked on Monday was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Dirk Koetter. Koetter was never able to lead the team and 2016 #1 overall pick Jameis Winston to a winning record, finishing with a paltry 19-29 record.
While Todd Bowles spent 4 years as the New York Jets‘ head coach, it comes as no surprised that he was canned on Monday after three consecutive last-places finishes in the AFC East.
The Denver Broncos let go of coach Vance Joseph, who led the perennial AFC West contenders to their first consecutive losing seasons since the 1970-71 seasons during his two years in Colorado.
Rounding out Monday’s firings is Steve Wilks, who only lasted one year at the helm of the Arizona Cardinals, finishing with a 3-13 record and disappointing team management.
All 6 vacancies will be filled in the next months during the NFL offseason.
