NFL to Consider Rule Changes After Major Coaching Changes
There were 10 head coaching vacancies in the NFL this offseason. Two of those (Raheem Morris and Mike Tomlin) were held by black coaches the year before. In their place, despite there being more openings than usual, no black coaches were hired.
This hadn't happened since 2020, although that year there were far fewer openings. It's a surprising turn of events, and it has led the NFL to contemplate changes. The Rooney Rule has existed since 2003 to help address this issue. At least in 2026, it didn't do anything.
NFL looking at changing Rooney Rule
The Rooney Rule is designed to make sure that teams give minority candidates a shot at their coaching and coordinator positions. Sometimes, teams will just interview a minority candidate. Then, they move on, but most years, it does seem to help some candidates get jobs.
In 2026, it did not. There were 10 available jobs. Despite two being previously held by black coaches and there being black candidates interviewed, none were hired. This has NFL commissioner Roger Goodell considering a rule change.
"I think we have become a more diverse league across every platform including coaching, but we still have more work to do," Goodell said via ESPN. "There's got to be more steps. We're reevaluating everything we're doing, including the accelerator program, including every aspect of our policies in our program to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow rather than yesterday. We need to be looking at that and why did we have those results this year?"
Ejiro Evero, Brian Flores, and Vance Joseph were among the candidates who got interviewed but did not land any of the 10 jobs with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, and other teams.
What is the Rooney Rule?
The Rooney Rule states that a head coaching, coordinator, or general manager opening must have at least two minority candidates interviewed. After that, a hire can be made. One minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach openings, too.
Understandably, black coaches are getting the focus here. However, only one minority coach, Robert Saleh, got a head coaching job at all. Right now, there are only three black coaches: DeMeco Ryans, Aaron Glenn, and Todd Bowles. And among them, only Ryans has any sort of job security right now. It wouldn't be stunning if the other two didn't survive next season.
"We have to continue to evaluate everything we're doing and every aspect of the hiring process. How do we professionalize it to the best of our ability?" Goodell continued. "I think some of the changes we made was giving more time for the interviews. But we're going to see that from year to year where you have different outcomes and that's something we've got to look at. But we're going to see that from time to time and that's something we've got to just evaluate so we can learn and then continue to focus on what can we do better across 32 clubs and the league."
Cancelled program
The NFL cancelled an acceleration program in 2022. It was designed to put diverse candidates in contact with owners and GMs across the league. Goodell didn't think, as it was four years ago, that it had a direct impact on the hiring cycle this year.
"I think long term it's something that we want to continue and figure out how could we use that to make sure that people understand the level of talent that is out there and how to give them the opportunities to continue their careers," the commissioner said. "And that goes to all the talent across the entire NFL and people that are not in the NFL."
Despite the slightly unsuccessful nature of the rule, Goodell does still believe the Rooney Rule is a good thing for the league.
