Mike Shanahan officially fired by Redskins

As expected, Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan has not survived black 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.

Some had previously speculated that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder would try to force Shanahan into resigning, but it was obvious that was not going to happen. By firing Shanahan, Snyder still has to pay him the roughly $7 million he had remaining on his contract for the 2014 season.

The 2013 season was an absolute nightmare for Shanahan and company, who watched their team go from first to worst in the NFC East division and finish with a 3-13 record. The veteran head coach admitted that recently when he told reporters he got lumps of coal for Christmas this year. Shanahan has been looking to get fired since he benched Robert Griffin III and made some questionable public comments.

As was the case when the Houston Texans fired Gary Kubiak, Lovie Smith is one of the names that has already been tossed around in connection with the new vacancy in Washington. Shanahan will also become a candidate to fill some of the other head coaching positions around the league.