The Los Angeles Chargers have fired Anthony Lynn after four seasons as head coach of the franchise.
Lynn departs the day after the Chargers wrapped up the 2020 regular season by beating the understrength Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17, the team's fourth successive win to finish the campaign.
However, a 7-9 record - making it a second successive losing season - has led to owner Dean Spanos deciding to make a change, as he admitted in a statement that results had "fallen short of expectations" in the previous two years.
Lynn was 34-32 overall during his tenure. The Chargers went 12-4 in 2018 and knocked out the Baltimore Ravens in the postseason before losing to eventual Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots.
"This morning I informed Anthony Lynn that we have made the decision to part ways with him as our head coach," Spanos said on Monday.
"I'm not sure there is another person in this league more respected as a human being than Anthony, and I want to sincerely express my deepest gratitude for his leadership during a time of great change for our organisation.
"As we all know, this is a results-driven business and, simply put, the results of the past two years have fallen short of expectations.
"Moving forward, we will redouble our efforts to both build and maintain a championship-calibre program. We have been innovative in many facets of our organisation in recent years, and we need to carry that over to our entire operation.
"Our fans need to know that the Los Angeles Chargers are committed to consistent, winning football. The search for a new head coach will begin immediately."
The Chargers could be an attractive vacancy too, considering the presence of quarterback Justin Herbert on the roster.
The rookie threw for 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 15 games, having been thrust into the starting role in Week 2 when Tyrod Taylor suffered a punctured lung following a painkilling injection right before the home game against the Chiefs.