When the NFL created for the first time a two-week head start on interviewing assistant coaches from other teams, the Monday after Week 16 became a potential hot spot for head-coach firings.
And so, of course, no coaches were fired on Monday.
So what happened? Each team that may be thinking about making a coaching change either didn’t make a final decision or decided not to implement the decision that secretly has been made.
Let’s start in Chicago. If, as many believe, the Bears will be making a coaching change, why not do it now? The easiest answer could be that the Bears are planning to make even more sweeping changes, with perhaps a new G.M. and a new team president. If the people who will be picking a new coach will be gone, there’s no reason to get a head start on looking for a new coach.
In Charlotte, where owner David Tepper may be thinking about making a change, perhaps Tepper wants to see what current coach Matt Rhule can do under extreme pressure and urgency. Or maybe Tepper knows who he wants and there’s no reason to start early on tracking down a coach for whom Tepper will overpay, as he did with Rhule.
For the Broncos, it makes plenty of sense to keep Vic Fangio for another year. He’s under contract through 2022, and the Broncos likely will be sold next year. Why tie the new owner’s hands with a major financial obligation that would perhaps be removed from the purchase price? Also, Fangio is doing pretty well this year. If the Broncos can attract a high-end veteran quarterback, they could be special next year.
In Minnesota, the Vikings remain alive for the postseason. As previously mentioned, there’s no obvious interim replacement on the coaching staff. Even if the Wilfs have decided to make a change absent a playoff berth, it’s too early to pull the plug.
For the Seahawks, it’s still unclear what owner Jody Allen will do. New coach? New quarterback? Both? Neither. Also, it’s possible that the Seahawks will have a hard reset, making a head start on searching for a coach irrelevant.
The window for interviewing assistant coaches from other teams remains open through the end of the season. It’s therefore possible that, for example, the Vikings will lose to the Packers on Sunday night and the Vikings will end it on Monday, allowing them to get rolling on Zoom interviews with potential replacements.
Regardless, with the end of the regular season 12 days away, the annual spate of changes will be coming soon.