Black Monday: Buffalo Bills To Shake Up Front Office, Coaching Staff? Is Doug Marrone On His Way Out?

Black Monday came and the Buffalo Bills lost a major piece of their puzzle, but it might not have been the kind of loss you're thinking of. Instead of a coaching change, which has yet to come and still in the rumor phase, according to the Buffalo News, the Bills lost their starting quarterback. Kyle Orton announced his retirement. So no coaching or front office changes ... yet.

The Bills were 7-5 in Orton's 12 starts this season, and he retires after a 10-year career playing for five different teams, according to syracuse.com's Matt Fairburn. The Bills finished 9-7 overall and missed the playoffs despite a second-place finish in the AFC East.

"I just have been going at it for 10 years and it's just a family decision and I've decided to get home and be a dad and call it a day," Orton said in a news release, according to syracuse.com.

The news detracted from what was supposed to be a bloodbath in Orchard Park, if rumors are to be believed, according to the Buffalo News. The News reported that whispers of a front office shakeup overshadowed the Bills's 17-9 victory over the New England Patriots Sunday, Dec. 28, at Gillette Stadium.

This from the News:

It began Saturday, [Dec. 27,] when Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculated that former Bills General Manager Bill Polian was on the verge of returning to the team that went to three consecutive Super Bowls on his watch. Florio went so far as to say Polian could be on the job, in an unspecified capacity, by Monday. Afterward, Polian told The Buffalo News the story wasn't true.

The Bills's new owners want coach Doug Marrone to return, reports ESPN. The second-year coach has an escape clause in his contract that gives him three days to terminate his contract now that the season is over, according to ESPN. We're almost through one day, the biggest, baddest Monday in the NFL cycle, and Marrone is still the coach of the Bills.

Whether the front office is reshuffled or not, an executive job will be to look for a new quarterback. Orton replaced EJ Manuel in mid-season after Manuel was drafted No. 16 overall in 2013.