The NFL regular season is over, which means head coach hiring-and-firing season is off and running. The Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions all fired their coaches during the season, and the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles joined them in early January. The Falcons, Jets and Jaguars have already hired their new coaches, but there are still four open jobs.
Here's everything you need to know about the latest NFL head-coach movement, with news on open jobs, candidates teams have already interviewed and more:
FILLED JOBS
Jacksonville Jaguars
New coach: Urban Meyer
The Jaguars hired Urban Meyer as their new coach, turning to one of the most successful college coaches in NCAA history to help spur a turnaround of one of the NFL's worst franchises.
"This is a great day for Jacksonville and Jaguars fans everywhere," team owner Shad Khan said in a statement.
Meyer is be the sixth head coach in Jaguars history, replacing Doug Marrone, whom Khan fired Jan. 4 after the Jaguars finished their worst season in franchise history (1-15). Marrone had a 25-44 record (including playoffs) in four seasons with the Jaguars.
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New York Jets
New coach: Robert Saleh
The Jets, coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, reached an agreement with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to be their next head coach, the team announced.
Saleh is regarded as an upbeat, energetic coach. The Jets coveted those traits after two difficult seasons under Gase, whose personality chafed some players. Ownership sought to find a "CEO" coach, someone who could galvanize the organization and build a winning culture.
Saleh replaces Adam Gase, who went 9-23 and was fired immediately after the 2020 season.
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Atlanta Falcons
New coach: Arthur Smith
The Falcons have signed Arthur Smith to be the team's new head coach, the team announced. Smith has served as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans the past two seasons.
Smith, 38, replaces Dan Quinn, whom the Falcons fired along with general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Oct. 11 after an 0-5 start. Raheem Morris took over as interim head coach and led the Falcons to their only wins of the 2020 season en route to a 4-12 overall record.
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OPEN JOBS
Philadelphia Eagles
Former coach: Doug Pederson (fired on Jan. 11)
Doug Pederson has been fired after five seasons as head coach of the Eagles. He was 46-39-1 and led Philadelphia to its only Super Bowl victory.
The Eagles stumbled to a 4-11-1 finish in 2020, and Pederson was roundly criticized for his handling of the quarterback situation with Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts.
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Los Angeles Chargers
Former coach: Anthony Lynn (fired on Jan. 4)
Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn has been fired after four seasons as head coach.
He signed a one-year extension in the offseason but went 7-9 with the Chargers this season, losing seven games by one score. Lynn ends his four-year stint with the Chargers with a 33-31 regular-season record and a 1-1 postseason mark.
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Houston Texans
Former coach: Bill O'Brien (fired on Oct. 5)
The Texans were off to an 0-4 start when the McNair family let go of O'Brien, who was in his seventh season and had taken over as general manager last January. O'Brien was hired in 2014, compiling a 52-48 record and four division titles. The Texans, though, never made an AFC Championship Game. Romeo Crennel was named as interim coach.
"I fully realize how important the general manager and head coach hires are for this organization," CEO Cal McNair told ESPN in November. "My goal is to hire great people who fit the Houston Texans. I want to build something that our fans, players and staff are proud of."
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Detroit Lions
Former coach: Matt Patricia (fired on Nov. 28)
The Lions got rid of Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn midway through Patricia's third season. He was 13-29-1 since taking over. Quinn had been the team's GM since 2016, and the Lions were 31-43-1 during his tenure. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell took over as interim coach.
Detroit has gone 26 years without a division title, last claiming a crown in 1993, and has not won a playoff game since the 1991 season. Team owner Sheila Ford Hamp acknowledged that when asked about future hires.
"We can't hide our past, that's for sure," she said. "But I think I'm very dedicated to turning this ship around and really making a difference and hopefully we won't have to look back very much, just look forward."
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