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The conclusion of an NFL season brings along the changing of the guard for many franchises. A handful of head coaches are relieved of their duties after their teams are eliminated from playoff contention, with one or two others fired earlier in the season.
2021 was no different, with a total of eight head coaches fired. Most of the firings occurred leading up to the postseason, but a couple were let go much earlier. In a rare occurrence, there was even resignation from an NFL head coach this season and retirement for another.
NFL head coaches that lost their jobs in the 2021-22 season
#1 - Jon Gruden resigns from Raiders amidst NFL scandal
Jon Gruden was the first head coach to be "fired" this season. It was more of a resignation after Gruden was caught up in a scandal. After a series of emails containing offensive remarks went public from a separate investigation into the Washington Football Team (now the Washington Commanders), the Raiders talked Gruden into resigning in the fourth year of his 10-year, $100 million deal from 2018.
Gruden was already in the hot seat in 2021, with tensions growing between him and quarterback Derek Carr. During his time with Las Vegas, Gruden was 22-31 and never made the playoffs in three seasons. The future was in line to be very cloudy for the Raiders had Gruden remained in charge. Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia helped salvage the season. New head coach Josh McDaniels will now take over in 2022.
#2 - Urban Meyer was not cut out for the NFL
The Jacksonville Jaguars made some strong moves prior to the 2021 season, including drafting Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick and hiring collegiate legend Urban Meyer as their head coach. Meyer was an exciting hiring despite having no experience outside of the NCAA. But the red flags started to show early on, with the hiring of Chris Doyle, who was being accused of being racist to athletes while with Iowa.
Doyle resigned from the job a day later, and things went downhill from there. The team was fined for violating the league's practice rules and COVID-19 protocol. An incident in a bar after an away game put the final nail in the coffin. Meyer was caught in a dirty situation that made himself, his family and his team look bad. There wasn't a sliver of positivity from his short time with the Jaguars who had a 2-11 record. Doug Pederson is a much better hire for the Jags on all fronts and has experience as a winning NFL head coach.
NFL head coaches that lost their jobs in the 2021-22 season
#3 - Vic Fangio's luck ran out with Denver Broncos
Vic Fangio barely held on to his job after the 2020 season and started 2021 well enough to start to calm the flames. He got the Broncos to a 3-0 start, but it spiraled into a 0-4 streak afterward. Despite remaining in playoff contention until the end of the season, the team saw a need for a new quarterback and head coach. When a team is revamping itself with a fresh quarterback, it usually doesn't want a subpar head coach to be the one to develop him.
Fangio went 19-30 in three seasons with Denver but can still be viewed as one of the better defensive coordinators in the league. His lack of an offensive mind showed, though, and it killed the success his defense had. Nathaniel Hackett comes in after his success working with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, and he might be the golden ticket to draw Rodgers to Denver.
#4 - David Culley was an NFL scapegoat for Texans
The Houston Texans were a complete dumpster fire since the end of the 2020 season, and David Culley was set up to take the fall for everything. He didn't have star quarterback Deshaun Watson on the field at all due to allegations of sexual assault. The team had previously gutted the roster of stars like JJ Watt and DeAndre Hopkins, leaving holes all over the depth chart. Culley, who is a seasoned veteran in the NFL, showed some fight but the team couldn't follow through. A 4-13 record ended his one and only season with the Texans, which is likely for the best.
Lovie Smith will look to bring change to the franchise and help bring the roster back up to high standards, starting with a new quarterback.
#5 - Joe Judge part of complete overhaul in New York
The New York Giants got rid of general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge, cleaning the slate for 2022. A 10-23 record with zero playoff berths was enough to fire Judge, who struggled to get anything going with quarterback Daniel Jones or the free-agents brought in prior to the season. The duo of Gettleman and Judge had poor showings in the NFL Draft, and the Giants have two top-10 picks in this year's draft. It was wise not to let them drop the ball on such a prime opportunity to bolster the team.
Brian Daboll was one of the hottest NFL head coach candidates this year, and the Giants hope he can transform Daniel Jones like he did Josh Allen.
NFL head coaches that lost their jobs in the 2021-22 season
#6 - Matt Nagy lasted longer than anyone in NFL thought
Many expected the Chicago Bears to fire Matt Nagy following the 2020 season after his success from the first season quickly faded. Nagy spent four seasons with the Bears, putting together a 34-31 record. Compared to most of the other head coaches fired this year, Nagy had one of the only winning records. He went 12-4 with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in his first year as head coach. He went 22-24 since then and a last-minute playoff berth last season extended his tenure to 2021.
The front office doesn't want Nagy to be the one to develop and guide quarterback Justin Fields. Matt Eberflus has a defensive mindset that can can help turn around the defense to take the pressure off the offense.
#7 - Mike Zimmer out as one of NFL's longest serving head coaches
Mike Zimmer had been with the Minnesota Vikings since 2014 and finished with a 72-56-1 record and a 2-3 record in the playoffs. Zimmer has been called out on several occasions for being too much of a defense-first head coach, which is partly to blame for how Kirk Cousins and the offense has played. Losing eight games by one score in a single season is a major red flag. Zimmer almost looked as if he quit on the team towards the end of the season.
The Vikings do not have a new head coach right now, but Broncos' defensive coordinator Ed Donatell seems to be the leading candidate. However, is another defensive coach the right move?
#8 - Brian Flores is NFL's biggest mystery fire
The Miami Dolphins stunned everyone when they fired Brian Flores after going 9-8 in 2021. In 2020, Flores took the team to a 10-6 record after a rough 5-11 season in his inaugural year with Miami. The team had gotten better each year under Flores, and Tua Tagovailoa looked like an NFL starter this season. Yet Flores was fired.
Flores has since filed a lawsuit against the league, claiming racist and improper hiring practices. Long story short, he was interviewed for the gig with the Giants after they had already landed on Daboll. Sadly, the lawsuit may end his chances of getting another try at head coaching for a while.
