On the first Monday after the end of the regular season, NFL teams cut ties with coaches that did not perform up to expectations. This day has become known as Black Monday. 

This year the moves in the week that followed Black Monday have been headline news. For 17 years, the College Football world had a designated “big bad” in Nick Saban and Alabama, and for 24 seasons Bill Belichick and the Patriots have assumed the same role in the NFL. Yet in less than 24 hours, they have both decided to move on to different ventures. Belichick’s potential departure from New England had been teased for just over a year now, but Saban’s sudden retirement sent ripples through the CFB world.  Once a part of the same Cleveland Browns coaching staff in 1994, the two goliaths of the football world have each made a massive impact on their respective leagues.

Aside from Belichick and Saban’s changes, the other major NFL coaching moves included longtime Seahawks Super Bowl-winning Head Coach Pete Carroll and Titans’ Mike Vrabel. These numerous coaching changes, all before the playoffs have even started, are setting the stage for what should be a wild offseason.