It’s (reportedly) official. According to Tom Pelissero, the NFL passed a new rule which could change the way the McCaskey family has historically done business.
Across the 100+ years of Bears history, the team has never fired a coach midseason. But per the report, a new league rule will allow teams to interview head coaching candidates over the final two weeks of the season, if they’ve already fired their head coach or informed him he won’t be returning next season.
Because teams can now get a head start on their hiring process, it behooves them to act decisively if they’re considering a coaching change. That edge alone could push the McCaskeys to fire Matt Nagy before the season is done.
Per Pelissero’s previous reporting the hiring practice change came about last October amid discussions about expanding the Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview ethnic minority candidates for head coaching and other high-profile front office jobs. As part of this year’s Rooney Rule expansion, all teams must now interview at least two ethnic minority candidates for all general manager/EVP of football operations roles. In addition, they must interview at least two ethnic minority candidates for all coordinator roles.
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