NFL's Black Monday: Falcons fire head coach Arthur Smith, Commanders' Ron Rivera dismissed

Arthur Smith, who inherited a rebuilding project in his first NFL head coaching job and failed to lift Atlanta from its playoff drought, was fired late Sunday night, hours after completing his third straight losing season with the Falcons.

Smith, the 41-year-old son of FedEx founder Fred Smith, finished with a record of 21-30. He went 7-10 each year.

Smith was dismissed after a 48-17 loss at New Orleans, the second-worst setback of his tenure, topped only by a 43-3 rout at Dallas in 2021. The Falcons dropped four of their last five games and were blown out in Smith's final two contests, losing 37-17 at Chicago a week ago.

The Falcons have posted six straight losing seasons since their last playoff appearance in 2017.

After the team arrived back in Atlanta, Smith met with owner Arthur Blank and CEO Rich McKay. The firing was announced shortly after midnight, the first of what is expected to be several coaching changes around the NFL on "Black Monday."

"Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good," said Blank, the 81-year-old owner who now begins the search for the sixth full-time head coach of his two-plus decades as the Falcons' owner.

The franchise that joined the league in 1966 is still seeking its first Super Bowl championship. Blank and McKay will lead the coaching search with input from general manager Terry Fontenot, who is keeping his job after also being hired ahead of the 2021 season.

The expectations on Smith grew immensely this season, with Blank making it clear he expected nothing less than the team's first trip to the playoffs since 2017 after a free-agent spending spree to improve the defence and using three straight top-10 draft picks on offensive playmakers Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson.

Some players spoke out in support of Smith.

"I absolutely love coach Smith," offensive guard Chris Lindstrom said. "I know we didn't win the games that we're supposed to this year. But I think the foundation of what this locker room is, there's a lot of great things to come."

Washington GM Mayhew also expected to leave

Washington Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera, the first move of many expected by new owners as they put their stamp on the NFL franchise they bought last year.

The decision came a day after the Commanders' season-ending 38-10 home loss to division-rival Dallas.

"As we look ahead, we recognize the results this season were not good enough and a strategic shift in leadership and approach is necessary," controlling owner Josh Harris said in a statement.

Harris said he has asked co-owners Mitch Rales, Magic Johnson and David Blitzer as well as former NBA executive Bob Myers and ex-Minnesota GM Rick Spielman to work with him in the searches for a head of football personnel and coach. After Dan Snyder four years ago hired Rivera to do both jobs, ownership is now splitting those responsibilities.

Myers served as president of basketball operations and GM of the Golden State Warriors as they won four championships, and he was named the league's executive of the year twice.

General manager Martin Mayhew and most of the front office and coaching staff are also expected to go, as Harris and his fellow owners begin shaping the organization less than six months after buying the team from Snyder.

Washington made one playoff appearance, winning an uncharacteristically weak NFC East at 7-9 in 2020, during Rivera's four seasons in charge of Washington's football operations. He never had a winning season.

"We did win an NFC East title in 2020, but we fell short since then, and for that, I am truly disappointed," Rivera said in a statement released by the team. "It wasn't easy and there is a lot more to be done, but I believe we began to change the culture of this organization in meaningful ways."

If Rivera does not get another head job in the league, he'll finish exactly one game under .500 at 102-103-2 in the regular season. Washington was 26-40-1 with Rivera in charge.

"Ron helped navigate this organization through some challenging times," Harris said. "He is a good man and a thoughtful leader who has positively contributed to this organization and the NFL."

Players lauded his conduct throughout his final season, with receiver Terry McLaurin saying Rivera never brought a bad attitude and defensive tackle Daron Payne praising the coach's optimism.

"It was a true honor to play for him," offensive lineman Sam Cosmi said. "He really cared about us."

Panthers went 14-37 under Fitterer

The Carolina Panthers now need a head coach and a general manager.

The Panthers announced Monday they have fired GM Scott Fitterer one day after the team finished with an NFL-worst 2-15 record.

"As we move forward with the new direction for our franchise, I have made the decision that Scott Fitterer will no longer serve as our general manager," Panthers owner David Tepper said in statement. "I appreciate Scott's efforts and wish the best for him and his family."

Fitterer joined the team in 2021 and the Panthers have gone 14-37 since. Tepper previously fired head coach Frank Reich just 11 games into his first season after the team started 1-10.

Fitterer orchestrated a trade with the Chicago Bears last year that allowed the Panthers to move to the No. 1 spot to get quarterback Bryce Young in exchange for wide receiver D.J. Moore and four draft picks — one of them that turned out to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2024.

That move hasn't worked out well for the Panthers and has been widely criticized, particularly given the success of No. 2 overall pick and rookie of the year candidate C.J. Stroud, who has the Houston Texans headed to the playoffs in his first season.

Two of Fitterer's top free agent additions this past off-season — running back Miles Sanders and tight end Hayden Hurst — were major disappointments in 2023.