The Monday after the end of the regular NFL season has come and gone, and we now know who has made the playoffs, and Wildcard weekend is fast approaching. Congratulations to all those teams that have made the playoffs. This season has been interesting and wide open, with some real surprises going into this weekend.

A quick recap of who has made the playoffs. The number one seed of the AFC and NFC gets a week off and a bye to the next round. It’s the Denver Broncos for the AFC and the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC. You can find the full table at the bottom of this page.

But we also had Black Monday.

What is Black Monday?

The day after the regular season comes to a conclusion is one of the worst days of the NFL campaign. It is the day that has been dubbed “Black Monday”, as that’s when head coaches are typically fired. 

Who were the casualties of the 2025 season’s Black Monday?

The first casualty of Black Monday came on Sunday night, immediately after the post-game press conference. The head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Raheem Morris, was given his marching orders after just two seasons at the helm.

He wasn’t the only change in Atlanta; general manager Terry Fontenot was also booted from the franchise the same night. The Falcons have remained consistently average since 2024, having an 8-9 record in both seasons under Morris. Fontenot has been with the team for 5 years, and during that time, the Falcons have failed to reach the playoffs.

Monday, January 5th, saw the announcement of three head coaches being let go from their positions, the first being Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite his phenomenal 14-year run with the Seahawks, which saw him lead them to a Super Bowl victory. He could not replicate that success in Vegas. Which is hard to do with only one season under your belt and a 3-14 record, making them the joint worst in the NFL.

Raiders owner Mark Davis and part-owner Tom Brady will now start the search for a sixth head coach in five years. They will also receive the first pick of the 2026 NFL draft.

The Cleveland Browns let Kevin Stefanski go after six seasons as head coach. The Browns had a disappointing season, finishing with a 5-12 record. Stefanski has previously been a two-time coach of the year and took the Browns to two playoffs, helping them achieve their first post-season win in 26 years during the 2020-21 season.

Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam called Stefanski “a good football coach and an even better person” but said “a change at the head coaching position is necessary”.

The Arazonia Cardinals said goodbye to Jonathan Gannon after three years as head coach. As a long-suffering Cardinals fan myself at this point, it might not be a head coach problem as much as a QB problem. This season disappointed yet again after such a strong start; they finished the season with a 3-14 record.

The Baltimore Ravens announced on Tuesday, January 6th, that after an 18-season run, John Harbaugh had been relieved of his duties. This was surprising to many who follow the NFL, but many had expected the Ravens to have made the playoffs this year. During Harbaugh’s long career, he led the 2012 Ravens to a Super Bowl title and reached the AFC championship game on three other occasions, compiling a 193-124 record that includes postseason games.

On Thursday, 8th Januery the Miami Dolphins announced that they had fired Head Coach Mike McDaniel. This was an expected outcome, but announced a lot later than many expected. During his four seasons in Miami, McDaniel’s team went 35-33, reaching the playoffs but losing in the first round during his first two seasons. Since then, the Dolphins have been tanking, and a lot of that is to do with what is happening behind the scenes at the franchise.

The Dolphins also said goodbye to their general manager, Chris Grier, nine games into the season. Will a change of GM and HC really change the Dolphins’ fortunes, or is the problem deeper?

There are now eight head coaching vacancies in the NFL. Along with the six that have been let go this week, we also have vacancies at the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants. Brian Callahan was let go after less than one full season with the Titans, going 3-14 before being replaced by interim head coach Mike McCoy. Over in New York, Brian Daboll was let go by the Giants after 10 games, after a 2-8 start to the season.

Elsewhere, the New York Jets are looking for a defensive coordinator after Steve Wilks was dismissed by head coach Aaron Glenn. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just let five assistants go, including Josh Grizzard (OC), Thomas McGaughey (STC), Thaddeus Lewis (QBs), Kevin Ross (CBs) and Charlie Strong (DL). Matt Eberflus is gone after one season as defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys, while the Washington Commanders fired Joe Whitt Jr and mutually parted ways with Kliff Kingsbury.

The Playoff Picture

AFC	NFC
Denver Broncos [14-3]	Seattle Seahawks [14-3]
New England Patriots [14-3]	Chicago Bears [11-6]
Jacksonville Jaguars [13-4]	Philadelphia Eagels [11-6]
Pittsbuerg Steelers [10-7]	Carolina Panthers [8-9]
Houston Texans [12-5]	Los Angeles Rams [12-5]
Buffalo Bills [12-5]	San Francisco 49ers [12-5]
LA Chargers [11-6]	Green Bay Packers [9-7]