Lions fire coach Jim Schwartz after failing to reach playoffs

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A late-season collapse has cost Jim Schwartz his job as head coach of the Detroit Lions.

The Lions fired Schwartz on Monday, a day after they finished the season at 7-9, a disappointing finish considering the team's 6-2 start. Detroit lost six of its final seven games and was eliminated from the playoffs a week ago after a loss to the struggling New York Giants.

The team will hold a news conference later Monday with team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew scheduled to talk with reporters.

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Schwartz met with team officials Monday morning before a final talk with his players.

Schwartz was 29-52 in his five years as the Lions' coach after inheriting a team that had gone 0-16 in 2008, the season before his arrival. He led the Lions to the playoffs in 2011, the team's first postseason berth since 1999.

Missing the playoffs this season clearly sealed his fate given the team's hot start, talented roster and major injuries to the quarterbacks on their biggest NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

Schwartz didn't stump for his job Sunday, but he did say he wanted to return for a sixth season.

"I know the way this business is — we all do," he said. "But we can't worry about decisions that we don't make. We've got to try our very best week in and week out and if we do then we can accept any decision that's made. But I'd certainly like to be back. I think we have unfinished business here. We've come a long way in these years, but we still have some ground we can make and I'm anxious to have a chance to be able to do that."

Despite their recent struggles, the Lions will have one of the most attractive job openings in the NFL. They have 18 of 22 starters under contract for next year and a star-powered nucleus that includes the game's best receiver in Calvin Johnson, a Pro Bowl defensive tackle in Ndamukong Suh and a 25-year-old quarterback in Matthew Stafford who's thrown for more than 4,600 yards each of the last three years.

Prolific passing numbers aside, Stafford was erratic down the stretch. He ranked among the league leaders with 19 interceptions this year and his turnover problems factored heavily into the Lions' late-season slide.

Still, the Lions are committed to Stafford for at least the next two years, and whoever takes over for Schwartz must come in with a clear plan to get the most out of their quarterback.

For that reason, early speculation about potential replacements has centered on veteran coaches and those with offensive backgrounds.

San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who led the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl five years ago and played two seasons with Lions general manager Martin Mayhew in Washington, Penn State coach Bill O'Brien, a former assistant with the New England Patriots, Stanford coach David Shaw, whose father was an assistant with the Lions in the 1980s, and former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith are among the most qualified candidates.

When the Lions hired Schwartz to replace Rod Marinelli five years ago, their search lasted 18 days and began with a list of about 20 candidates. Mayhew and Lewand whittled that list to just over a dozen, then fanned out across the country for interviews before settling on Schwartz.

Of the nine coaches hired during the 2009 coaching cycle, just one — the New York Jets' Rex Ryan — remains employed by his team.

The Lions have had five different head coaches, including interim coach Dick Jauron, in the last 12 years, and several players said Sunday they hoped Schwartz would stay.

"I think he's a hell of a coach and sometimes things don't always go as planned but sometimes it takes time," defensive tackle C.J. Mosley said. "It takes time to win, it takes time to get a program together."

Contributing: The Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett

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