In 2020, the NFL created a new rule designed to reward teams that develop minorities in coaching and front office roles. Under the rule, if a team has a minority coach or executive hired away to become another team’s head coach or general manager, the team that developed that coach or executive gets two third-round compensatory picks. It’s been a good rule for the 49ers.
Since the rule was implemented, the 49ers have seen Robert Saleh hired away to be the Jets’ head coach, Maritn Mayhew hired away to be Washington’s general manager, Mike McDaniel hired away to be the Dolphins’ head coach, Ran Carthon hired away to be the Titans’ general manager, and DeMeco Ryans hired away to be the Texans’ head coach. All of those hirings resulted in compensatory picks for the 49ers.
But there appears to be some opposition within the league to the 49ers’ success on that front. According to Seth Wickersham of ESPN, owners have complained to the league office about the number of compensatory picks the 49ers have received for developing coaches and executives of color.
The report does not say which owners have complained, but the owners were the ones who passed the rule, and the 49ers have simply benefited from the rule that all of the owners voted on. Owners who don’t like the rule are free to try to get their fellow owners to change it, but perhaps a better alternative for those owners would be to do as good a job as the 49ers have of developing talent on their coaching staff and in their personnel department.