National Football League

NFL coaching changes: Culley joins Judge, Flores among coaches fired

Updated Jan. 13, 2022 3:41 p.m. ET

Once the NFL's regular season comes to a close, the focus for many teams — particularly for those left out of the postseason mix — immediately turns to coaches.

That meant bad news for a trio of head coaches on last Monday, as Brian Flores, Mike Zimmer and Matt Nagy were all let go by their respective teams. This came on the heels of last Sunday's news that the Denver Broncos had fired Vic Fangio after three seasons.

On Tuesday, the New York Giants followed suit, firing head coach Joe Judge a day after GM Dave Gettleman announced his retirement.

And on Thursday, Houston decided to move on from its head coach after just one season.

Here is the latest on moves around the league as the coaching carousel turns.

Houston Texans

In somewhat of a surprising move, it was announced Thursday that the Texans fired David Culley after just one season at the helm of the team. Houston spent practically the entire season in turmoil, considering star quarterback Deshaun Watson did not suit up for a single game while dealing with legal issues. Culley replaced Bill O'Brien, who was fired four games into his seventh season with the Texans. O'Brien had posted five winning seasons in Houston and won the AFC South four times during his tenure.

Culley, without the services of Watson, guided Houston to a 4-13 record with a mixture of rookie Davis Mills and veteran Tyrod Taylor at QB.

New York Giants

All eyes were on the Giants after Flores, Nagy and Zimmer were fired on Monday, and a day later, New York announced the decision to relieve Judge of his head coaching duties after two subpar seasons in The Big Apple.

"Steve (Tisch) and I both believe it is in the best interest of our franchise to move in another direction," said team president John Mara in a statement. "We met with Joe yesterday afternoon to discuss the state of the team. I met again with Joe this afternoon, and it was during that conversation I informed Joe of our decision. We appreciate Joe's efforts on behalf of the organization."

Judge led New York to a 6-10 mark in his inaugural season in 2020, and a 4-13 record this season, giving him a 30.3% winning clip in two seasons with the Giants. They failed to make the playoffs under Judge, and this year, New York was second to last in yards per game (287.3), –– representing one of just three teams to average less than 300 total yards of offense per game –– and second to last in points per game (15.2).

Last season, the Giants were second to last in yards per game (299.6) and points per game (17.5) as well.

Defensively, the Giants allowed 354.8 YPG (21st in the NFL) and 24.5 PPG (23rd in the NFL) in 2021.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins announced Monday that they had fired head coach Brian Flores after three seasons at the helm — about 12 hours after he led his team to a 33-24 victory over the New England Patriots.

Hopes were high entering the season after Miami went 10-6 in 2020. But the Dolphins went 1-7 out of the gate, and while they won eight of their last nine games to finish 9-8, they placed third in the AFC East and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

"I made a decision today to part ways with Brian Flores," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said. "After evaluating where we are as an organization and what we need going forward to improve, I determined that key dynamics of our football organization weren't functioning at a level I want it to be and felt that this decision was in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins. I believe we have a talented young roster in place and have the opportunity to be much better in 2022.

"I want to thank Brian for his hard work and wish him nothing but the best in his future."

The Dolphins were 24-25 in Flores' three seasons, and the 40-year-old is not expected to be unemployed for long, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Flores was just the fourth coach in Dolphins history to record two winning seasons in his first three years with the team. He was also 4-2 against his former boss, Bill Belichick — the best mark of any coach against Belichick's Patriots.

Minnesota Vikings

Like Flores, Mike Zimmer finished his season with a victory — 31-17 over the Chicago Bears — but also like Flores, it was not enough for a playoff berth or to save his job.

On Monday, the Vikings announced that they had fired both Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman.

Zimmer was 72-56-1 in eight seasons as Minnesota's head coach, reaching the playoffs in 2015, 2017 and 2019. His 2017 team, led by the NFL's top-ranked defense, went 13-3 and advanced all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where it fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The past two seasons were less successful, however, as the Vikings went 15-18 and failed to reach the postseason. The once-vaunted defense also faltered, ranking 24th in points allowed (426) and 27th in yards per play (5.7) this season.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears fired coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on Monday after the team finished third in the NFC North at 6-11.

Nagy's squad started the season 3-2 but then lost eight of its next nine to fade out of contention. The Bears finished 27th in the NFL in scoring (311 points) and 22nd in scoring defense (407 points allowed).

Nagy was NFL Coach of the Year in 2018, his first with the club, when the Bears went 12-4 and snapped an eight-year playoff drought. They also reached the playoffs as an 8-8 wild-card team in 2020. In his four seasons leading the club, Nagy's Bears went 34-31 but 0-2 in the playoffs.

Nagy's tenure in Chicago was tied to young quarterbacks. First, he inherited Mitchell Trubisky, a QB who was chosen No. 2 overall in the 2017 draft — eight spots ahead of Patrick Mahomes — and never blossomed.

Then, this past spring, the Bears traded up to draft Justin Fields No. 11 overall. The rookie struggled, however, going 2-8 in 10 starts and finishing last in the NFL in total quarterback rating (26.0).

Denver Broncos

The Broncos announced Sunday that they were firing Vic Fangio after three seasons at the helm.

Fangio's squad went 7-10 and placed last in the AFC West in 2021, finishing below .500 and missing the postseason for a sixth consecutive season. He was 19-30 in three seasons in Denver.

"With the foundation in place, the progress that’s been made and the resources we have to get better, I’m excited about the future of our team. We will find an outstanding leader and head coach for the Broncos and our fans," Broncos General Manager George Paton said in a statement.

Fangio, 63, has held a variety of coaching roles over the past 41 years, including 33 seasons in the NFL. Prior to joining the Broncos, he served as a defensive coordinator in the NFL or at the collegiate level for 20 of the past 24 seasons.