Jack Ross received the sack in October and was replaced by Phil Parkinson amidst growing fan unrest towards owner Stewart Donald.
And then the Coronavirus pandemic hit, forcing life as we know it to pause completely, including the football season.
Eventually, the League One season was curtailed early and settled on a points-per-game basis.
That meant Sunderland finished eighth with several players moving on in the summer.
Here, we take a look at where they are now:
Eventually, the League One season was curtailed early and settled on a points-per-game basis.