Mike McCarthy Fired by Packers, Joe Philbin Named Interim Head Coach - Bleacher Report NFL

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers looks on in the second half against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on September 23, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Green Bay Packers announced they fired head coach Mike McCarthy on Sunday during his 13th season at the helm.

McCarthy spoke with Fox Sports' Jay Glazer about the news, saying, "I'm proud I was part of the Packers family, proud to be part of such a great organization."

President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Murphy released a statement on the team's decision:

"The 2018 season has not lived up to the expectations and standards of the Green Bay Packers. As a result, I made the difficult decision to relieve Mike McCarthy of his role as head coach, effective immediately. Mike has been a terrific head coach and leader of the Packers for 13 seasons, during which time we experienced a great deal of success on and off the field. We want to thank Mike, his wife, Jessica, and the rest of the McCarthy family for all that they have done for the Packers and the Green Bay and Wisconsin communities. We will immediately begin the process of selecting the next head coach of the Green Bay Packers."

The decision came following Green Bay's 20-17 loss at home against the Arizona Cardinals, which dropped its record to an abysmal 4-7-1. Former Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin will serve as the interim head coach.

McCarthy possessed nearly two decades of experience as an assistant, but he had never been a head coach when the Packers hired him in January 2006.

The 55-year-old Pennsylvania native proceeded to lead Green Bay to a 125-77-2 record during the regular season and a 10-8 mark in the playoffs. Four of those 10 wins came in a single postseason when he led the Packers to a triumph in Super Bowl XLV, the team's fourth Super Bowl title and 13th championship.

While the Packers won at least 10 games eight times in McCarthy's first 11 seasons, their drop in performance over the last two years led to his departure.

Green Bay finished 7-9 in 2017 and is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in again in 2018.

The inability to make substantial progress toward another championship with Aaron Rodgers still at or near the peak of his superpowers—most NFL title-contending rosters are built around a high-end quarterback in his prime—has now cost McCarthy his job.

"I need to be better," McCarthy told reporters following the 2017 season.

Whether his individual performance on the sideline improved in 2018 is subjective, but the fact that the Packers failed to showcase the necessary improvements was evident.

Now they begin the process of trying to find a new head coach while Philbin occupies the role with four games remaining in the season.

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