When the NFL season opened in September, there were plenty of starting Black quarterbacks (14) among 32 teams, and few Black head coaches (five).
Black men guiding teams when the season kicked off were Aaron Glenn, New York Jets; Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons; DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans; and Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers.
That five is currently down to three following Tomlin’s decision to step down and Morris’ ouster in Atlanta.
Glenn is a solid favorite to be the first head coach fired next season. It is fair to wonder how Bowles kept his job after the Bucs failed to reach the playoffs.
With the Buffalo Bills canning Sean McDermott following a heartbreaking divisional playoff game loss to the Denver Broncos, 10 teams (almost a third of NFL franchises) terminated their coach during or after the season.
The New York Giants fired Brian Daboll before season’s end and replaced him with John Harbaugh, who was fired by the Baltimore Ravens.
The Falcons replaced Morris with Kevin Stefanski, who was let go by the Cleveland Browns.
Robert Saleh, former Jets head coach and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator, was hired Tuesday by the Tennessee Titans after miraculously holding the 49ers defense together after it was shredded by injuries. He’s of Lebanese descent, and it’s great to see him get another top job after dealing with the dysfunctional Jets.
Miami tabbed Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as its new coach after the Dolphins dismissed Mike McDaniel earlier this month.
That leaves the Bills, Browns, Ravens, Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Las Vegas Raiders in need of a new head coach — at least as of Tuesday afternoon.
I was confident at least one Black head coach would be hired to fill a vacancy, but the jobs are dwindling.
New Pittsburgh Courier sports columnist Aubrey Bruce wrote this week what many Black sports fans, including me, are now thinking.
“Many people won’t or don’t think of a head coaching ‘color line’ in the NFL. But there is such a thing as a bottomless ‘moat’ that surrounds and protects the ‘castle of tradition’ where the ‘sanctuary of hiring’ is carefully locked away in the ivory tower of generational and systemic bias,” Bruce contends.
“For the 106 years that the NFL has existed, people of color have been forced to accept as well as be grateful when a Black head coach or any coach of color is hired.”
If there were five Black head coaches in the NFL when the 2025 season began, why should I accept just four at the start of 2026. Yet, that is a reality.
Glenn was a hot prospect after last season for his work as Detroit Lions defensive coordinator. There is no Black equivalent to him heading into the 2026 season. If a Black coach is hired, you’ll likely know his name.
Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, is a noted guru of perplexing schemes, which routinely befuddle the best NFL offenses. Of course, there is that pesky discrimination lawsuit against the league and several teams likely working against him.
Tomlin says he is not interested in coaching in 2026, but he will be in high demand in 2027.
I look forward to his return, and hopefully a few more Black coaches in control of NFL teams.
The Reid Roundup
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who has a Black father, could land one of the open jobs. If not, I hope the Houston Texans hire him to work with struggling C.J. Stroud…Granted he was missing wide receiver Nico Collins, Stroud was awful in his divisional round loss to the New England Patriots. “I let a lot of people down,” he said after his four-interception performance…Caleb Williams’ miraculous 18-yard TD pass to force overtime against the L.A. Rams in frigid Chicago had the Bears on the cusp of the NFC Championship game. His three interceptions, including one in OT, doomed the effort…I want all Black QBs to succeed but Bears head coach Ben Johnson is such a jerk I find myself rooting against Williams…STL native Kyren Williams scored both Rams’ touchdowns in the 20-17 win over the Bears. As for the weather, Williams said “We’re built for anything that comes our way.” …Coming the Rams’ way are the Seattle Seahawks and All Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, linebacker Ernest Jones IV, and cornerback Devon Witherspoon.