Goodell: NFL Must ‘Make Progress’ After No Black Head Coach Hires

SAN JOSE —  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league needs to “continue to make progress” on the diversity front after there were no Black head coaches hired this cycle, despite a record-tying 10 vacancies across the NFL’s 32 teams.

“I think we have become a more diverse league across every platform, including coaching, but we still have more work to do,” Goodell said during his annual state of the league press conference ahead of Super Bowl LX.

The Raiders have not officially hired Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak yet, but once they do after the Super Bowl, all 32 coaches will be set. The Titans were the only franchise to hire a minority this year, bringing on 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent and has previous head coaching experience with the Jets. 

“We have to recognize that we had 10 openings this year,” Goodell said. “The turnover of coaches and general managers in football is pretty extraordinary in our industry, so we have to take that into account.”

There are now four minority head coaches in the NFL, including three Black coaches: the Jets’ Aaron Glenn, Texans’ DeMeco Ryans, and Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles. The Falcons fired Raheem Morris, while the Steelers and Mike Tomlin parted ways. The Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel, who is biracial. 

There are four Black GMs in the NFL: the Browns’ Andrew Berry, the Lions’ Brad Holmes, the Bears’ Ryan Poles, and the Falcons’ Ian Cunningham.

Goodell said the Rooney Rule “has been seen as a positive by our clubs, by giving them an opportunity to look at a diverse set of candidates. They make the choice ultimately, but I think it’s shown them the value of that—to look at talent where you might not see it. We’re in a competitive league. Teams are trying to get the coach that they think can win.”