From left: John Fox, Rex Ryan and Mike Smith are no longer with the team they coached last season. (The Denver Post; Getty Images)
The NFL coaching carousel never stops spinning. Every year around this time, a handful of coaches are deemed to be on the hot seat. Others are said to be next in line. And others just decide to call it quits. The names may change (or not) each year, but the routine doesn’t.
This year, a number of coaches have been pegged as potentially being on the move, with some already ousted. Here’s a roundup of all the changes so far:
Atlanta Falcons: Mike Smith, the winningest coach in Falcons history, was fired after seven seasons with the franchise. Atlanta went 66-46 (.589) and 1-4 playoffs with Smith at the helm.
Buffalo Bills: The Bills announced on Monday that Rex Ryan will be their new coach. Ryan agreed in principle to a five-year, $27.5 million deal, according to , to replace Doug Marrone in Buffalo. Marrone who, after two years with the team, opted out of his contract on New Year’s Eve. Ryan was fired by the Jets after they finished 4-12. From 2009-14, he compiled a 46-50 record in New York.
On Tuesday the Bills announced that 49ers offensive coordinator for the same role in Buffalo, and that Ryan had .
Chicago Bears: Chicago after its 5-11 season, firing both general manager Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman. The team announced that it hired Ernie Accorsi as a consultant to help with the search for a new coach and GM.
Denver Broncos: By now you know: John Fox and the Broncos “mutually agreed to part ways,” leaving the AFC West champs without a head coach and a lot of uncertainty regarding Peyton Manning and their 12 free agents. Whatap more: Their coordinators, Jack Del Rio and Adam Gase, could both be headed to the Bay Area for head-coaching jobs with the Raiders and 49ers respectively. A lot going on in Broncos country.
New York Jets: Mike Maccagnan, the Texans’ director of college scouting, is expected to replace John Idzik as the general manager of the Jets, according to ESPN.com. Idzik was fired along with coach Rex Ryan after the Jets’ ended a 4-12 season.
Oakland Raiders: Dennis Allen was fired in September after leading the Raiders to an 0-4 start to the season and an 8-28 record overall in his two-plus years as coach. Offensive line coach Tony Sparano served as interim coach for the remainder of the season, but the full-time job is still vacant. As the Postap Mike Klis reported, Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has twice interviewed for the job.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The team announced on Tuesday that Keith Butler was promoted to defensive coordinator. He had been the Steelers’ linebackers coach since 2003.
San Francisco 49ers: In a much-publicized move (complete with an Alex Rodriguez sightins), Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers “mutually agreed to part ways” after he led the team to a 44-19-1 regular-season record (5-3 in the playoffs), two NFC West titles and a trip to Super Bowl XLVII. A day after he broke up with the 49ers, Harbaugh signed a massive seven-year deal to become Michigan’s head coach.
