As the 2015 NFL regular season comes to an end, it is time for those struggling teams to make decisions at the top, and a few teams wasted little time to finalize those moves. Two moves were announced Sunday night before the end of the final game of the year, as the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers made coaching changes.
The Browns made the first move by relieving head coach Mike Pettine, along with GM Ray Farmer, following a 3-13 season. The team released a statement explaining that they made the move because the team was "not positioned well for the future."
The team is planning to hire a new head coach before filling the vacant GM slot. They plan on doing that so the new coaching can be involved in deciding on a new coach.
Pettine was the Browns' seventh full-time coach since 1999. The team has had troubles finding stability, changing coaches and GMs five times since 2008. Former Bills head coach Doug Marrone will interview for the job, as well as Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
The 49ers struck next by firing Jim Tomsula Sunday night following a 5-11 season. The headline of their year was Colin Kaepernick losing his starting job at the quarterback position.
The move was announced following the team's 19-16 OT win over the St. Louis Rams in the season finale. The team is reportedly expected to explore hiring Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints, who has two years left on his current deal.
Chip Kelly, who was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles, had his camp contact San Francisco about the opening on Monday. Kelly expressed his interest in wanting to stay in the NFL following his departure from Philly.
Tomsula was hired on January 14th, 2015, not even lasting a calendar year, after never being more than a position coach. He was close with the organization by coaching the team's defensive line since 2007, but could not find success in his short stint as the head coach.
Another coaching move announced Monday came from the coach's side, rather than the team, as Tom Coughlin announced that he is resigning as the New York Giants head coach. The 69-year-old made the decision after 12 years, including two Super Bowl titles, in what seemed like an inevitable move.
The announcement was made one day after the team's third straight losing season. Coughlin will speak in a press conference on Tuesday morning, and spoke highly about the organization on Monday. He will have his family with him when he speaks, and his family expressed their appreciation for the team as well.
The franchise had not suffered three straight losing season since recording eight straight from 1973-1980. They have missed the playoffs four years in a row and six of the past seven, but the one year they were in the playoffs, they won it all.
Former and current Giants who played for Coughlin weighed in on how sad they were to see him go, including Odell Beckham Jr. and Raiders DE Justin Tuck.
The final coaching announcement was a surprise to some, but was the one positive announcement, as the Indianapolis Colts gave head coach Chuck Pagano a four-year contract extension. GM Ryan Grigson was given a similar deal, keeping him for three more years so that both him and Pagano's contract would go through 2019.
No financial terms were released on Pagano's deal when the announcement was made after Jim Irsay met with both Pagano and Grigson on Monday.
This move comes as a bit of a surprise due to rumors throughout the season of Pagano's job being in jeopardy due to the team's struggles. The Colts' struggles increased when Andrew Luck went down with a lacerated kidney. They finished in second place in the AFC South behind the Houston Texans, missing the playoffs with an 8-8 mark.
Indianapolis began making moves in the middle of the season, when they fired their offensive coordinator in week 8, before Luck went down for the final nine games. The next move was expected to be Pagano on his way out, but instead, they have locked him up for four more years.
The Browns made the first move by relieving head coach Mike Pettine, along with GM Ray Farmer, following a 3-13 season. The team released a statement explaining that they made the move because the team was "not positioned well for the future."
The team is planning to hire a new head coach before filling the vacant GM slot. They plan on doing that so the new coaching can be involved in deciding on a new coach.
Pettine was the Browns' seventh full-time coach since 1999. The team has had troubles finding stability, changing coaches and GMs five times since 2008. Former Bills head coach Doug Marrone will interview for the job, as well as Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
The 49ers struck next by firing Jim Tomsula Sunday night following a 5-11 season. The headline of their year was Colin Kaepernick losing his starting job at the quarterback position.
The move was announced following the team's 19-16 OT win over the St. Louis Rams in the season finale. The team is reportedly expected to explore hiring Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints, who has two years left on his current deal.
Chip Kelly, who was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles, had his camp contact San Francisco about the opening on Monday. Kelly expressed his interest in wanting to stay in the NFL following his departure from Philly.
Tomsula was hired on January 14th, 2015, not even lasting a calendar year, after never being more than a position coach. He was close with the organization by coaching the team's defensive line since 2007, but could not find success in his short stint as the head coach.
Another coaching move announced Monday came from the coach's side, rather than the team, as Tom Coughlin announced that he is resigning as the New York Giants head coach. The 69-year-old made the decision after 12 years, including two Super Bowl titles, in what seemed like an inevitable move.
The announcement was made one day after the team's third straight losing season. Coughlin will speak in a press conference on Tuesday morning, and spoke highly about the organization on Monday. He will have his family with him when he speaks, and his family expressed their appreciation for the team as well.
The franchise had not suffered three straight losing season since recording eight straight from 1973-1980. They have missed the playoffs four years in a row and six of the past seven, but the one year they were in the playoffs, they won it all.
Former and current Giants who played for Coughlin weighed in on how sad they were to see him go, including Odell Beckham Jr. and Raiders DE Justin Tuck.
The final coaching announcement was a surprise to some, but was the one positive announcement, as the Indianapolis Colts gave head coach Chuck Pagano a four-year contract extension. GM Ryan Grigson was given a similar deal, keeping him for three more years so that both him and Pagano's contract would go through 2019.
No financial terms were released on Pagano's deal when the announcement was made after Jim Irsay met with both Pagano and Grigson on Monday.
This move comes as a bit of a surprise due to rumors throughout the season of Pagano's job being in jeopardy due to the team's struggles. The Colts' struggles increased when Andrew Luck went down with a lacerated kidney. They finished in second place in the AFC South behind the Houston Texans, missing the playoffs with an 8-8 mark.
Indianapolis began making moves in the middle of the season, when they fired their offensive coordinator in week 8, before Luck went down for the final nine games. The next move was expected to be Pagano on his way out, but instead, they have locked him up for four more years.
