Black Monday: Washington Redskins Fire Coach Mike Shanahan

A year ago, Coach Mike Shanahan led the Washington Redskins to the NFL playoffs. This year, a 3-13 record led to his firing on Black Monday, reports NFL.com.

Washington’s move to give multiple first-round picks to the St. Louis Rams for the right to move up and take quarterback Robert Griffin III paid off in the short term when Griffin played at an MVP level in his rookie season, says Sports Illustrated.

"Redskins fans deserve a better result," owner Dan Snyder said in a statement posted on ESPN.com. "We thank Mike for his efforts on behalf of the Redskins. We will focus on what it takes to build a winning team, and my pledge to this organization and to this community is to continue to commit the resources and talent necessary to put this team back in the playoffs."

Shanahan's job security became a topic of speculation due to his frosty relationship with star quarterback Robert Griffin III, says ESPN. The coach benched Griffin for the the last three games of the season, reportedly to help him heal for next year Griffin declined to speak to the media while he cleaned out his locker Monday.

Mike Jones of the Washington Post reported on Monday morning that Shanahan and his staff were fired roughly 30 minutes after he arrived at Redskins Park, says Fox Sports.

Possible contenders for the coaching job, according to Sports Illustrated, are: Bill O’Brien, Lovie Smith, Darrell Bevell, Russ Grimm, Art Briles, Jay Gruden.