The coaching carousel can start spinning faster today.
A new rule adopted for the 2024 hiring cycle prohibited in-person interviews of coaching candidates under contract with other teams until the conclusion of the divisional round of the playoffs. The divisional round is over; as of today, in-person interviews can happen with any candidates currently under contract with other teams.
Before today, teams were permitted to interview on an in-person basis only those candidates who are not currently connected to an NFL team, like Bill Belichick. Virtual interviews of assistant coaches were permitted; Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had four of them between Friday and Saturday.
In-person interviews can’t happen this week for coordinators whose teams are still in the playoffs (Chiefs, Ravens, Lions, 49ers). As of next week, coaches from the teams that lose on Sunday are fair game. Coaches from the winners can be interviewed in person only by teams that previously interviewed them virtually.
The new rule has slowed down the process generally, which is a good thing. Of eight openings, two are filled. The Patriots elevated Jerod Mayo under a pre-existing contractual succession plan that circumvented a traditional search. The Raiders hired Antonio Pierce after conducted a pair of in-person interviews with minority candidates who were available to be interviewed in person, as required by the Rooney Rule.
Some would say it should be delayed even longer. Some would say no interviews should happen until after the Super Bowl.
Those who would say that would be right. It’s not fair to the teams still in the playoffs and the candidates to dilute their attention by having them prepare for and conduct virtual interviews while otherwise getting ready for a playoff game.
It puts guys like Johnson in an awkward spot where they have to word-salad their way through questions as to how they can prepare for and submit to job interviews while otherwise working to get their current teams ready to play. For example, Johnson said last week that his family, not his current job, suffered from the time spent interviewing for four potential new jobs.
What else could he say?
He couldn’t say the truth. The truth is that he should have been spending every waking moment getting ready for Tampa Bay, self-scouting his own offense for tendencies and tells, scouting the Buccaneers defense for tendencies and tells, and coming up with way to take his own tendencies and tells and do something unexpected in those situations.
The truth is that, for Johnson, the ship is coming in. For his family, the next job becomes far more important than the current one.
Coaches shouldn’t be expected to navigate those competing agendas and loyalties. They should be allowed to focus on getting the current job done before ever giving a moment of thought to the next job.
Maybe it will eventually happen. The good news is that the NFL is moving that way. The best news would be getting there.
The Panthers are going to move forward in their head coaching search without talking to one of the candidates the club was reportedly interested in.
According to Joe Person of TheAthletic.com, Carolina is no longer expected to interview Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson for the role.
The Panthers have already interviewed 11 candidates and are set to begin second interviews. Johnson did not receive a first.
Johnson may be on his way out in Philadelphia, after the team finished with losses in six of its last seven games. The Eagles have already let go of defensive coordinator Sean Desai and senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia is expected to explore other opportunities.
The Falcons and Titans have announced that they’ve interviewed Johnson to be their next head coach.
Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is among the group of individuals who are expected to receive a second interview with Carolina.
Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was a popular name in the first round of head coaching interviews this cycle and he’s proving to be popular in the second round as well.
Word this weekend was that the Seahawks are setting up a second interview with Evero and they’ll have company when it comes to booking time with the coach. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Evero is set for a second interview with the Panthers on Monday and that the Falcons have also requested the chance to speak with him a second time.
Evero joined the Panthers as a member of Frank Reich’s staff and remained on board after Reich was fired during the regular season. It was the second straight year that Evero worked for a head coach who was fired in the first year of his tenure as he was also on Nathaniel Hackett’s staff in Denver in 2022.
Evero worked for Sean McVay with the Rams before going to Denver and he’ll be hoping that any head coaching stint of his own will look more like the one McVay has put together in Los Angeles.
The Seahawks can have in-person interviews with head coaching candidates who currently work for other teams this week and they have several coaches in mind for their next round of meetings.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Seahawks are setting up second interviews with five candidates. The group includes Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
Pelissero adds that there will likely be other coaches added to the list.
One possible addition will be Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik as he is scheduled for his first interview with the team on Sunday.
Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is proving to be a popular name in this year’s head coaching searches.
Callahan has interviewed with four teams and there was word this week that the Titans want to interview him a second time. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports on Sunday that the Falcons and Panthers also want to speak with him again.
Teams can start having in-person interviews with candidates employed by other teams this week, so any future conversations with Callahan will likely take place that way rather than the remote interviews that have been going on since the end of the regular season.
The Falcons have met with Bill Belichick twice and are expected to have Jim Harbaugh in for a second meeting as well. The Panthers have not had any second interviews at this point.
