On Thursday, the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos announced their new head coaches, and despite the rumors and initial interest, Brian Flores, Jim Caldwell, or any Black coach on the planet were not part of their plans.
Instead, the teams went with Colts’ defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and Packers’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, respectively.
And so it begins, it being the frustrating hiring process for Black NFL head coaches.
Despite the lack of speed, this year’s hiring period feels eerily similar to Black Monday in 2021 where five white coaches and one Muslim-American coach (Robert Saleh) were hired at warp speed.
Six of the seven vacancies were filled in a few days and not one went to a Black coach. It wasn’t until a week later that the Texans finally broke rank and hired David Culley.
The backlash was swift and just. It was infuriating to fans and humiliating to Black head coaching candidates who barely got a sniff at a job.
Fast forward a year and the league’s nine openings, including the Saints after Sean Payton decided to step away, now stands at seven.
Literally one year after essentially being blanked, Black head coaching candidates are, once again, being overlooked and Mike Tomlin remains the sole Black NFL head coach.
It’s flabbergasting to think that one year ago we had only one new Black head coach, and now he’s gone, another victim on the Black head coaching cleanup man list.
This year the pipeline has cultivated a wealth of qualified Black head coaching candidates. Yet “miraculously”, the process has moved at tortoise-like speed. It’s an interesting phenomenon and/or coincidence.
Or is it?
The process for Black coaches revolves around two outcomes: one and done or never. There are always exceptions, like Art Shell, Tony Dungy, Dennis Green, Jim Caldwell and Mike Tomlin.
But the one thing that they never are is first.
First to be hired, first to lead, first as a priority.
That’s obvious again in 2022. With increased scrutiny placed on hiring this season, the interview process is agonizingly slow at a time when the list of qualified Black candidates is, arguably, stronger than its ever been.
Some interviews have been conducted, and others are scheduled. This is frustrating and troublesome compared to last season, where white coaches were signed at a blistering pace.
This weekend alone we have three qualified Black head coaching candidates trying to help their teams reach the Super Bowl. This list includes Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. All three have crafted their teams into top-notch units that propelled them through the postseason.
Outside of the playoffs, the list is even stronger and is complete with former NFL head coaches.
There’s former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, former Texans head coach David Culley, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and former Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. Jim Caldwell is the lone exception as he coached both the Colts and Lions, and he had winning records with both teams.
Other names floating around include Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo and Lions defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn.
Yet despite their prior and current success, these former head coaches have yet to receive a second chance and the current coordinators have yet to receive their first.
In November, the NFL circulated a list of vetted minority NFL coaching candidates. There were 11 men on that list, including some of the names above and two college coaches (Penn State’s James Franklin and Stanford’s David Shaw).
As of today, there are 15 names for consideration. If that doesn’t scream talent and opportunity, I don’t know what does.
Many NFL teams are focused on hiring general managers who will then help hire a head coach. That’s understandable. Three of those teams, the Bears, Giants, and Vikings have accomplished that task, so only the Raiders remain GM-less.
Ryan Poles signed with Chicago, New York signed Joe Schoen and the Vikings signed Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The hiring of Poles and Adofo-Mensah means there are seven Black NFL GMs: Chris Grier (Miami), Brad Holmes (Detroit), Martin Mayhew (Washington), Terry Fontenot (Atlanta), Andrew Berry (Cleveland), and the aforementioned Poles and Adofo-Mensah.
That’s seven times the number of Black head coaches.
The remaining head coaching vacancies are with the Dolphins, Giants, Jaguars, Raiders, Saints, Texans and Vikings.
That’s 15 more than qualified Black head coaching candidates for 7 positions. Jacksonville is rumored to be moving ahead with Leftwich, but until the deal is done, there’s always room for disappointment.
The opportunity is there for all to see. Now it’s up to the NFL owners to make their decisions.
Do they break old, bad habits, open their eyes and hire a qualified Black coach? Or do they retain their hiring bias and either recycle old white names or hire based upon the Sean McVay prototype?
Talk is cheap. The time for wording on helmet decals and endzones is over.
It’s your move NFL.
Just know we’re all watching.
