Report: NFL to propose major new Rooney Rule incentives

The NFL has clearly felt that the Rooney Rule encouraging minority hires is not doing enough to achieve its stated purpose. Subsequently, it appears the league is prepared to offer even greater incentives to facilitate more minority hires.

According to Jim Trotter of NFL.com, the league is set to propose two significant rule changes next Tuesday in a conference call with owners. The first is that teams will no longer be able to block assistants from interviewing for coordinator jobs. The second would grant teams improved draft position for hiring and retaining minority coaches or general managers.

A team hiring a minority head coach would see their third-round pick improve by six spots after the coach’s first season. Anyone hiring a minority GM would see their third-round pick move up 10 spots. In other words, a team could theoretically move up 16 spots in the draft by hiring a minority coach and GM in the same offseason.

In addition, there will be incentives for teams to keep minority hires. The team’s fourth-round pick would rise by five spots before the minority coach or GM’s third season.

Other changes set to be proposed include compensatory picks for minority coaches who leave for coordinator jobs elsewhere, and a compensatory pick for teams who hire a minority candidate as quarterbacks coach. The longstanding Rooney Rule requirement to hire a minority candidate for head coaching positions is set to be extended to coordinators, and teams may be required to interview two minorities for head coaching positions going forward instead of one.

Frustration among black coaches boiled over this offseason after none were hired as head coaches. It led to promises of change, and these proposed new rules would be a major shift going forward that could impact teams’ thinking.