The NFL has passed a rules change on the hiring process for head coaches that could impact Buffalo Bills coordinators Leslie Frazier and Brian Daboll.
The league now will allow clubs to interview candidates for open head-coaching positions during the last two weeks of the regular season with the consent of the candidate’s club, according to an NFL memo obtained by the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
According to the memo, an open position is one in which the head coach who started the season is no longer in that role or the current coach has been told he will not be retained.
The NFL just sent a memo regarding updates to the Rooney Rule, and there’s another notable change for the upcoming hiring cycle: Clubs may now conduct virtual interviews with head coaching candidates during the last two weeks of the regular season, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 27, 2021
The earlier interview window is a response to criticism the NFL has received over the fact coordinators for teams that go deep into the playoffs often get passed over in the head-coaching hiring process because teams are eager to fill open positions and often don’t want to wait until a playoff team is eliminated to start the interview process. The interviews in the new window of opportunity can be done virtually.
Frazier interviewed for the Houston Texans’ head-coaching opening last January. His second interview with Houston came after the Bills were eliminated by Kansas City. The Texans hired Baltimore aide David Culley. Daboll had interviews last January with the New York Jets and Los Angeles Chargers during a brief window of opportunity immediately after the Bills’ wild-card playoff victory over Indianapolis. The Jets hired Robert Saleh. The Chargers hired Brandon Staley. Daboll and Frazier figure to be popular candidates this offseason.
The NFL also passed new guidelines requiring clubs to interview at least two external minority candidates for general manager and coordinator positions. Previously one external minority interview was required.
