Who Deserves to Be Fired After 2016 NFL Season?

NFL coaches and executives lose their jobs every year on the first Monday after the conclusion of the regular season. It's such a twisted tradition that we've come to know it as Black Monday.

No head coaches were fired on Black Monday last year, mainly because five were let go before the day arrived. One—Lovie Smith of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—was relieved of his duties a few days later, and the New York Giants technically parted ways with Tom Coughlin on Black Monday in 2016, but that resignation was a foregone conclusion.

But the Tennessee Titans fired general manager Ruston Webster and the San Diego Chargers canned offensive coordinator Frank Reich on this day last year, so it wasn't completely quiet. It won't likely be quiet this time around either.

To be clear, we aren't rooting for people to lose their jobs. It's important to remember we're talking about human beings, all of whom employ other human beings who will be out of work as a result of these developments. These situations are complicated, especially around the holidays, but the reality is it's time for some teams to move on without employees who have failed to deliver.

As 20 NFL teams officially kick off the offseason, here's a look at several moves those in charge of front offices and/or coaching staffs should make. In all cases, the folks listed failed to win and the teams that employ them would be better off with fresh starts. 

Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis

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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis confirmed last week that he won't retire and plans on returning to the team in 2017, but should the Bengals take him back?

This is undoubtedly complicated, because the franchise had gone 12 years without a winning season when Lewis took over in 2003, and the former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins almost immediately helped to turn things around in Cincinnati.

The Bengals have made the playoffs in seven of Lewis' 14 seasons, winning the AFC North in four of those years. But despite having Super Bowl-worthy talent for much of that stretch, the Lewis-led Bengals have failed to win a single playoff game.

I understood why the Bengals gave Lewis a one-year contract extension last offseason. He had just one year remaining on his deal and had led Cincinnati to five consecutive playoff appearances. Teams rarely fire coaches after losing playoff games.

But the talented Bengals have followed that up with their first losing season since 2010. It looks as though they hit a wall under Lewis, and now that they've taken a step backward, I don't know how the front office can justify extending his contract again.

It's possible they apply added pressure by forcing Lewis to coach with only one year remaining on his deal in 2017, but they'd be better off avoiding a lame-duck situation and moving on now.

It's time for a fresh start.

Indianapolis Colts GM Ryan Grigson

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Make that back-to-back seasons without a winning record for the Indianapolis Colts, who are wasting franchise quarterback Andrew Luck's prime with a roster that resembles Bonnie and Clyde's death car.

The Colts went 11-5 in each of general manager Ryan Grigson's first three seasons on the job, which coincided with Luck's first three years, but Grigson has failed to provide his first draft pick with enough support.

Grigson hit on four draft picks—top pick Luck, second-round tight end Coby Fleener (to an extent), third-round wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and third-round tight end Dwayne Allen—in 2012, but none of the 34 other players he's drafted have made a Pro Bowl.

Only three of those 34—2013 third-round guard Hugh Thornton, 2014 second-round offensive tackle Jack Mewhort and 2015 fifth-round defensive tackle David Parry—have served more than one full season as a starter.

Of the 30 players he drafted in his first four years, only 10 remain on the roster.

Not enough quality players surround Luck, and that's on Grigson.

Luck was sacked 100 times during his first three seasons in the league before succumbing to the pressure in an injury-plagued fourth year. Things have gotten worse in year five, as the offensive line surrendered an NFL-high 257 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

Per the same source, Luck's been pressured on a league-high 44.4 percent of his dropbacks.

It doesn't help that the defense has ranked in the bottom 12 in terms of points allowed and the running game has ranked in the bottom 10 two seasons in a row.

Grigson hasn't drafted enough quality players, and his strategy to sign several experienced former stars last offseason didn't pan out.

There's a chance Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano receive at least another year to get the Colts back on track, especially considering owner Jim Irsay gave both four-year contract extensions last offseason. But the Colts would be better off replacing Grigson now with somebody committed to building around Luck and letting that guy decide whether Pagano should be a part of the plan.

New York Jets GM Mike Maccagnan

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The New York Jets appear to be moving in the wrong direction, and after back-to-back non-playoff seasons on the job, it might already be time for general manager Mike Maccagnan to get the axe.

The biggest problem for a Jets team coming off a double-digit-loss season is they've yet to find a reliable quarterback, and that falls on Maccagnan. It doesn't look as though 2015 fourth-round pick Bryce Petty or 2016 second-rounder Christian Hackenberg has what it takes to become a quality starter, and 34-year-old primary 2016 starter Ryan Fitzpatrick was the league's lowest-rated qualified passer this season.

Maccagnan got it right when he selected defensive tackle Leonard Williams with his first draft pick as general manager, but none of the other 12 players he's drafted have become key contributors. He erred in drafting Petty and Hackenberg, and giving Fitzpatrick a $12 million contract in the 2016 offseason was a big mistake.

Throw in that five-year, $70.1 million contract he handed out to washed-up cornerback Darrelle Revis in 2015, and we have plenty of evidence that the former Houston Texans scouting guru is in over his head.

It certainly felt as though the Jets gave up on head coach Todd Bowles in December, but Gary Myers of the New York Daily News reported last week Bowles wouldn't be fired.

Ideally, that wouldn't be written in stone.

If the Jets want to get back on track as quickly as possible, they'd be better off allowing someone not named Mike Maccagnan to make that decision.

Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead

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Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead drafted Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick last year, which might be the only reason he still has a job.

Head coach Jeff Fisher has already been relieved of his duties, and that made sense because Fisher had underperformed for half a decade in St. Louis and Los Angeles. While that suggests Snead has given Fisher some talent to work with, the fact is the team has gone 31-48-1 during his five-year tenure and is still without a franchise quarterback.

Could Goff become that guy? Certainly, but his rookie campaign didn't indicate he's on the verge of becoming a superstar. He spent most of the year holding a tablet before losing all seven of his starts in the second half of the season. In four of those seven games, the Rams failed to score more than 10 points.

If he qualified, he'd have been the lowest-rated passer in the league this season by a huge margin.

So should Snead really remain in his role until the jury reaches a verdict on Goff? That seems ridiculous, especially when you consider only two of his other 42 draft picks have become Pro Bowlers.

The Rams have to wash their hands of that entire regime, starting now.

New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen

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Sadly, a lot of coordinators and position coaches will lose jobs this week. But the one who should be let go even if his bosses aren't is New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.

Allen took over after the Saints fired Rob Ryan from that role in November 2015, and it was surprising when head coach Sean Payton kept him around in 2016. Considering how poorly that unit continues to perform, the Saints would be better off seeking a fresh face to run the defense in 2017.

On paper, the Saints defense looks solid. Despite being led by talented veterans Cameron Jordan, Jairus Byrd, Nick Fairley and 2013 first-round safety Kenny Vaccaro, though, they gave up 28.4 points per game this season—one year after surrendering a league-high 29.8 points per outing.

As a defensive assistant under Ryan, Allen deserves at least some of the blame for what happened to the New Orleans defense early last year, and he deserves the lion's share of the blame for what has happened since. That D has given up 35-plus points seven times in 22 games under Allen and has failed to consistently register sacks and takeaways.

Time for somebody new—somebody who isn't associated with that historically bad 2015 Saints D.