The NFL has passed a new resolution barring teams from prohibiting assistant coaches from taking interviews with new teams for coordinator roles.
In the past, Kansas City Chiefs Andy Reid has been able to keep the likes of Mike Kafka and other ascending assistant coaches on his own sideline, knowing they will one day fill the shoes of current coordinators. Those days are now over with a new NFL resolution committed to helping generate greater diversity within the coaching ranks.
Per NFL reporter Jim Trotter, league owners approved new measures to the hiring process to allow teams to have a greater range of candidates for coordinator roles in a move that should help minority candidates find the requisite jobs in order to eventually earn head coaching opportunities.
BREAKING: NFL owners have voted to approve the resolution that would prevent teams from blocking assistant coaches from interviewing for coordinator positions, per sources. This is an important step.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) May 19, 2020
How does this work exactly? Well, while the most recent example for the Chiefs would not help anyone in terms of diversity, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid kept the team’s quarterbacks coach, Mike Kafka, from interviewing with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles were looking for a new offensive coordinator and Reid wouldn’t even allow Kafka to be an option. That luxury is no longer possible, which means that even starting now, a team could potentially poach any assistant coach from K.C. (or any other team) to fill a coordinator role.
For a team like the Chiefs, this likely means that more teams are going to come for their coaching staff members starting next winter. The Chiefs already have one of the likeliest head coaching candidates in the NFL in offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, but it’s also possible that other assistants would be viewed as promising coordinators who have learned from the NFL’s best.
It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see defensive line coach Brendan Daly approached about a defensive coordinator role soon given his experience with the Chiefs and New England Patriots. Defensive backs coaches Sam Madison and Dave Merritt have done an exceptional job training up developmental talents like Charvarius Ward and Juan Thornhill. Matt House was already a coordinator at the college level and he’s bound to earn coordinator interest in time as well.
The same can be said of the offensive side where younger voices like running backs coach Deland McCullough and wide receivers coach Greg Lewis have been soaking in Andy Reid’s playbook and approach with players.