Roger Goodell’s best efforts can’t overcome NFL owners’ disinterest in Black head coaches

SAN JOSE, Calif. – At commissioner Roger Goodell’s direction, the NFL over the past five years expanded the Rooney Rule, introduced a landmark hiring mandate aimed at increasing opportunities for coaches of color on offense, and launched a program designed to accelerate the advancement of qualified minority employees in coaching and front-office management.

And none of it matters.

Despite the best efforts of the commissioner and his top lieutenants in the league office, the nearly completed hiring cycle has demoralized employees of color across the league, who have watched recent gains among coaches and general managers evaporate. The latest setback serves as yet another sobering reminder that only so much can be accomplished on the fifth floor at 345 Park Avenue in New York.

That’s just the cold reality Goodell faced during his annual Super Bowl news conference Monday at the San Jose Convention Center.

“We need to continue to make progress, and I believe that,” said Goodell, who insisted he’s not resigned to the status quo. “I believe diversity is good for us. We have become a more diverse league across every platform, including coaching. But we still have more work to do.”

Nearly a third of NFL club owners began this year’s hiring cycle seeking new head coaches. Of the first eight jobs filled during the record-tying, 10-opening cycle, seven went to white coaches. 

On Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals announced the hiring of former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as their next head coach. Reportedly, after the Super Bowl, the Las Vegas Raiders plan to complete a deal to hire Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

White coaches batted .900: 10 openings — nine jobs filled. 

Only the Tennessee Titans picked a coach of color: Robert Saleh, formerly the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Saleh, an Arab American of Lebanese descent, became the first Muslim head coach in league history when he was hired by the New York Jets in 2021.

In 2026, after all the league office’s hiring efforts, the NFL currently has as many Black head coaches as it did during the 2003 season: three. By any metric, that’s not progress. When the 2025-26 season kicked off, the NFL had five Black head coaches: Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets, Raheem Morris of the Atlanta Falcons, DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans, and the dean of the group, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On Jan. 4, the Falcons fired Morris. Tomlin – who in 19 seasons as the Steelers’ on-field leader never had a losing season – resigned Jan. 13. Additionally, Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins, who is biracial, was fired on Jan. 8. Dave Canales of the Carolina Panthers, who is Mexican American, is the league’s other coach of color.

This always bears repeating: The NFL is a Black league.

The number of players who identify as African American is about 54 percent – and it has been as high as 70 percent. Representation among Blacks and other coaches of color in head coaching, proponents of inclusive hiring throughout the league contend, is important because head coaches are the faces of football operations.

“There’s got to be more steps,” Goodell said. “So we’re re-evaluating everything we’re doing … including every aspect of our policies and our programs to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, rather than yesterday.”

Equally problematic is the thinning of the general managers ranks, many NFL hiring observers said.

The league began the season with five Black general managers: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings, Andrew Berry of the Cleveland Browns, Terry Fontenot of the Atlanta Falcons, Brad Holmes of the Detroit Lions and Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears. Now, the number stands at four: Fontenot was fired Jan. 4, Adofo-Mensah was fired Jan. 30, and Ian Cunningham, formerly Poles’ top assistant with the Bears, replaced Fontenot in Atlanta.

Furthermore, Black coaches are woefully underrepresented on offense – especially at the coordinator level. That’s critical because team owners, with quarterback development paramount, increasingly pluck top-tier assistants on offense to fill head coaching vacancies. During the regular season, there were zero Black offensive coordinators in the NFL.

On Jan. 23, the Kansas City Chiefs rehired Eric Bieniemy, making him the league’s only Black top offensive assistant. Three days later, the Chargers hired the aforementioned McDaniel to direct their offense.

And Bieniemy’s situation best illustrates the plight of Black coaches.

The most successful of head coach Andy Reid’s offensive coordinators, Bieniemy played a big part in Reid’s first two Super Bowl championships. With Bieniemy’s guidance, quarterback Patrick Mahomes won two Associated Press league MVP awards, two Super Bowl MVP awards and an AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

Nevertheless, Kansas City’s spectacular team success and Mahomes’ rise to the top of the league did not earn Bieniemy a single head coaching offer. In an attempt to minimize Bieniemy’s contribution and dismiss his lack of advancement, critics of the league’s inclusive hiring efforts explain that Reid is the Chiefs’ offensive play-caller.

Only one problem: Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy, Bieniemy’s predecessors under Reid in Kansas City, worked within the same play-calling structure. They both moved on from Kansas City for head coaching positions.

“We need to be looking at it [the hiring cycle] and sort of say, ‘OK. Why did we have the results [the league had] this year?’ ” Goodell said. “What is it that we could be doing in training and education? And that goes for not just the candidates but also the clubs, [to determine] how we can increase the opportunities and also the outcomes.”

Goodell couldn’t be clearer about his position on inclusive hiring. As he reiterated Monday, he believes the NFL’s diversity makes it stronger. From the front office to the field, he strives for the most successful league on the planet to have a truly inclusive workforce.

Again, though, Goodell can only do so much. He can’t wave a wand and make it all happen. And based on years of evidence, it seems franchise owners have little interest in Black magic.

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