3 NFL Head Coaches Fired Monday as Teams Miss Playoffs

By Brian Jones

It's the Monday after the end of the NFL regular season, and three teams just fired their head coaches. It was announced on Monday morning that the Chicago Bears fired their head coach Matt Nagy. It was then announced the Minnesota Vikings fired Mike Zimmer and the Miami Dolphins decided to part ways with Brian Flores. This comes one day after the Denver Broncos fired its head coach Vic Fangio.

For the Bears, Nagy was fired along with general manager Ryan Pace. Nagy was hired as the Bears head coach in 2018 and led the team to a 12-4 record in his first year. But after the breakout year for Nagy, the Bears suffered three consecutive non-winning seasons, including a 6-11 campaign in 2021. Earlier in the year, there was talk that Nagy would be fired by the Bears mid-season. The team will now look for a new head coach and general manager who can lead the team to their first Super Bowl win since 1985.

Zimmer has been the Vikings head coach since 2014. In his eight seasons as the head coach, Zimmer won 72 games and led the Vikings to the playoffs three times. 2017 was Zimmer's best season, as the Vikings won 13 games and reached the NFC Championship game. But with two consecutive sub-par seasons, the Vikings decided it was time to go in a different direction, which also led to the firing of general manager Rick Spielman. 

"This morning we met with Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer to notify them we will be moving in a different direction at the general manager and head coach positions in 2022," Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf and Vikings owner/chairman Zygi Wilf said in a statement. "We appreciate Rick and Mike's commitment to the team's on-field success, their passion for making a positive impact in our community and their dedication to players, coaches and staff. While these decisions are not easy, we believe it is time for new leadership to elevate our team so we can consistently contend for championships. We wish both Rick and Mike and their families only the best."

Flores was with the Dolphins for just three seasons. After winning just five games in 2019, Flores turned the team around and won 19 in the last two years. The team just missed the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, but it looked like Flores was building something special in Miami. Once the announcement was made, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross explained his decision. 

"I made a decision today to part ways with Brian Flores," Ross said, per ESPN. "After evaluating where we are as an organization and what we need going forward to improve, I determined that key dynamics of our football organization weren't functioning at a level I want it to be and felt that this decision was in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins. I believe we have a talented young roster in place and have the opportunity to be much better in 2022."  

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