Three NFL head coaches and two general managers have lost their jobs on “Black Monday.”

The Minnesota Vikings fired coach Mike Zimmer and GM Rick Spielman, the Chicago Bears parted ways with coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace, and the Miami Dolphins dismissed coach Brian Flores.

Also, the Denver Broncos fired coach Vic Fangio on Sunday. The Broncos played their season finale Saturday.

And more firings are possible. 

Also Monday, New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman announced his retirement.

Flores’ departure was the most surprising. While the Dolphins failed to reach the playoffs in his three seasons at the helm, the team did have back-to-back winning seasons and finished the year with eight wins in the final nine games to go 9-8. Overall, Flores went 24-25 in Miami.

The primary issues that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross cited for the decision seemed to have little to do with the on-field product and more with communication within the team's braintrust — though there were no specific examples offered of how the team determined Flores wasn't the right fit in those regards.

“I've been looking at this over three years now and watching the organization grow," Ross said. “I think an organization can only function if it's collaborative and it works well together, and I don't think we were really working well as an organization ... to win consistently at the NFL level."

It wasn't a total housecleaning: General manager Chris Grier is being retained. 

The Vikings fired Spielman and Zimmer after a second straight absence from the playoffs for a 61-year-old franchise still seeking a title.

“We appreciate Rick and Mike's commitment to the team's on-field success, their passion for making a positive impact in our community and their dedication to players, coaches and staff,”  owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf said in a statement distributed by the team. “While these decisions are not easy, we believe it is time for new leadership to elevate our team so we can consistently contend for championships.”

Zimmer went 72-56-1 in eight seasons, plus 2-3 in the postseason. The Vikings won the NFC North in 2015 and 2017, but in the end the state of the division was the same as at the beginning — with rival Green Bay in firm control.

The 2017 team proved to be the peak of the Spielman-Zimmer regime, when Case Keenum took over for the injured Sam Bradford at quarterback and produced a career season while the defense led the league with the fewest yards and points allowed.

The first crack in the foundation became clear in the NFC championship game, a 38-7 loss at Philadelphia one week after the “Minneapolis Miracle.” Keenum's 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs as time expired beat New Orleans in the divisional round, but the Eagles were the ones who made it to the Super Bowl in Minnesota’s stadium.

In Chicago, Nagy's fate seemed sealed as the Bears struggled through a 6-11 season that ended with a loss at Minnesota on Sunday. But it was not clear if Pace also would be let go or retained in his role as GM or a different capacity.

The Bears went 48-65 with one winning season and made the postseason twice in the seven years since Pace was hired out of New Orleans' front office in 2015 to replace Phil Emery. Nagy went 34-31 in four seasons.

Whoever the Bears hire will need to develop rookie quarterback Justin Fields and surround the former Ohio State star with more talent to help him grow. They will have to address a defense that has slipped in recent seasons. More than anything, it will be their job to turn around a franchise with just seven playoff appearances in the past 30 years.

The Broncos fired Fangio after he went 19-30 over three years, including 7-10 this season despite having one of the easiest schedules and the highest-paid defense in the league.

Denver is in a six-year playoff drought.

The Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars are also in the market for new head coaches. 

Raiders coach Jon Gruden resigned in October after emails surfaced in which he had made homophobic and misogynistic remarks. With interim coach Rich Bisaccia leading the way, Las Vegas (10-7) earned a wild-card spot in the playoffs Sunday night by beating the Los Angeles Chargers 35-32 in overtime.

Jacksonville fired rookie head coach Urban Meyer in December with four games remaining in their season. The team was 2-11 under the former Ohio State and Florida coach.