The worst day of the year for many NFL coaches is actually one of the most intriguing and interesting days for NFL fans. It is called Black Monday, but Pack Monday would be more appropriate, as many coaches are packing their bags after choosing or being asked to leave their teams.
It happens to the best of them, even Super Bowl–winning coaches like Tom Landry and Bill Belichick. This year, John Harbaugh was also let go, perhaps the most surprising firing of the 2025 season.
When the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, or Las Vegas Raiders fire a coach, it is more a rite of winter than a surprise. These witless and rudderless franchises rip through coaches like Joe Walsh rips through a guitar solo. At the time of this writing, seven head coaches have lost their gigs. In addition to Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Jonathan Gannon, Pete Carroll, Brian Callahan, Raheem Morris, and previously Brian Daboll were bid not-so-fond farewells.
Black Monday is also a prime day for football media. Every gridiron gabber has an opinion on why this coach was sacked and that one wasn’t. They also debate why coaches were fired while the general managers who hired them stayed.
The usual suspects, like ESPN, NFL Network, and FS1, had Black Monday covered with their live programming, but my attention wisely went somewhat off the grid to SiriusXM NFL Radio.
If you did not catch the satellite radio giant’s NFL talent lineup this past Monday, you simply missed out on the best football talk going. And I’m talking about real football talk—not soundbites, hot takes, stupid predictions, inane banter, dumb opinions, or baseless reports. No channel on any media platform combines knowledge and entertainment in football talk better than SiriusXM NFL Radio.
The truth is that this has been the case for a long time. The channel’s program lineup has a tremendous mix of broadcast veterans and former NFL players and coaches. SiriusXM NFL Radio is not the sexiest football outlet in the world. You are not going to get the bombastic braggadocio of Stephen A. Smith, the sarcastic sass of Nick Wright, or the ribald ramblings of Pat McAfee. What you will get is down-and-dirty, enlightening football discussion based on knowledge and experience.
The eclectic lineup that I listened to on Monday, January 5, began with Solomon Wilcots and Ryan Leaf hosting the Opening Drive show.
Most football fans know the story of Leaf. He was the second pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, chosen by the then-San Diego Chargers after the Colts selected Peyton Manning. Leaf never came close to the promise he showed as a terrific quarterback at Washington State. He then found himself in numerous legal and personal troubles over the years.
To his credit, Leaf has reclaimed his life and, along the way, helped others while fostering a damn fine sports media resume. He has become a solid analyst on a number of different networks and platforms over the years. Paired with Wilcots, he expertly delved into the coaching moves on Black Monday.
This dude has seen the ups and downs of football and uses this experience to offer deep, honest, and thoughtful talk.
Similarly, Wilcots has really honed his skills as a host and broadcaster. In his early days at SiriusXM, I was completely unimpressed with his work. I felt he stumbled over his words, talked before he thought, and struggled to communicate his knowledge of the game. This has changed completely. Wilcots now runs Opening Drive and has become a proven commodity at SiriusXM. The former Bengal and Steeler defensive back is a solid listen.
The midday team of Bob Papa and Matt Simms took over the airwaves next with their Airing It Out show.
Papa is a bona fide broadcasting talent and New York icon as the radio voice of the New York Giants. He has also provided great TV work for NBC, HBO, GOLF Channel, and Westwood One. This cat is totally tapped into the NFL scene, with his Big Apple sensibility and deep knowledge of the game past and present.
Simms, the son of Phil and brother of Chris Simms, had a cup of coffee as a QB. He is not quite at the level of his dad and brother as a broadcaster, but he is getting there and provided a nice complement to Papa on Black Monday.
The pair not only discussed the coaches who were fired but also looked ahead to possible replacements. Papa even brought up the ever-present and lingering specter of Bill Belichick as a possible candidate for some of these open jobs. The fun part of listening to a live show on Black Monday is being right there when news breaks.
With word of Carroll’s firing in Vegas, conversation turned to Tom Brady. As a part-owner of the Raiders, he will have significant influence over the team’s next head coach.
This sparked the hot debate as to whether Brady should leave his job as a FOX analyst due to a perceived conflict of interest. Can Brady be a team owner, talent evaluator, and personnel executive, and also be an objective broadcaster? This is becoming more of an issue in media, with both CBS’s Matt Ryan and ESPN’s Troy Aikman taking on executive roles with the Falcons and Dolphins, respectively.
My opinion is simple: make a choice—team or TV.
Much of the conversation among SiriusXM NFL Radio personalities focused on which open jobs were the most desirable. This was before the Baltimore job became available, but opinions were aplenty.
Is it the Giants because they have a young quarterback in Jaxson Dart and a big market in New York?
Could it be Atlanta because they have real talent speckled across that roster in a winnable division?
Is it Tennessee, in a growing media market like Nashville, with a top-pick quarterback like Cam Ward?
Is it the Raiders, with a still-recognized Silver and Black brand and Brady in house?
Bruce Murray and ex-NFL quarterback Rich Gannon next picked up the Black Monday radio gauntlet with the SiriusXM Blitz.
Murray is a terrific broadcaster with a deep, distinctive voice. Gannon offers excellent insight—not just as a former Super Bowl QB, but also as a veteran media professional working network TV games.
Gannon, perhaps better than anyone at SiriusXM, taps into his ex-player prowess and knowledge. He was a respected leader on the field and takes a similar role on the show. Murray is a true pro, ably setting up Gannon to be his best radio self with great questions and topic transitions.
The duo did a solid job analyzing the Atlanta Falcons. They discussed what the team needs in the front office and on the sidelines to reach its potential.
As the SiriusXM NFL broadcast day moved along, the best tandem on the channel took center stage. Former NFL front office executive Pat Kirwan and ex-NFL quarterback Jim Miller are absolutely sensational in dissecting NFL football on Movin’ the Chains.
They can do anything—X’s and O’s, strong opinions, lively debate, and fun speculation. One of the true strengths of Movin’ the Chains is how Kirwan and Miller interact with live callers. When a caller states an opinion, Kirwan and Miller are not afraid to challenge that viewpoint and engage in debate.
They do this without being condescending or insulting.
Miller had a great back-and-forth with a 49ers fan who called in to talk about San Francisco’s upcoming Wild Card game against the Eagles. Debate focused on whether San Fran could beat the defending champs, given their lackluster performance against Seattle this past week.
Kirwan and Miller welcome callers into the conversation as if they are part of the show. This is refreshing. Far too many local and national radio shows mock or brush off listeners and move onto the next call. Kirwan and Miller provided the perfect end to a terrific day of listening.
It may have been Black Monday, but SiriusXM NFL Radio shined brilliantly, with illuminating programming and bright hosts across the program lineup.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
