Report: NFL Will Require Teams to Hold In-Person Interviews to Satisfy Rooney Rule

The NFL is reportedly set to adjust the Rooney Rule to mandate an in-person interview with at least one candidate from a historically excluded group and outside a team's own organizational structure when searching for a new general manager or head coach.

Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reported the league hopes the change, which will be formally presented to team owners at the fall meetings Tuesday, can further promote diversity in hiring.

The Rooney Rule was established in 2003 in an effort to increase high-level hires of people from historically excluded groups, but its effectiveness was questioned after just two of the seven head-coaching vacancies last offseason were filled by non-white candidates—the New York Jets' Robert Saleh and Houston Texans' David Culley.

"It wasn't what we expected, and it's not what we expect going forward," Goodell told reporters in February.

The NFL expanded the rule last year to require at least two interviews with non-white candidates per opening, but that change came as the hiring process shifted heavily toward virtual interviews amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now the league is hoping the requirement of multiple interviews with historically excluded candidates, including at least one from outside the organization, and having that interview take place in person will help reverse the recent hiring trends.

Along with the lack of non-white head coaches hired during the last cycle, Alex Reimer of Forbes noted people of color filled just 35 percent of assistant coaching positions.

By contrast, non-white players made up 75.1 percent of the NFL's player base in 2020, including 57.5 percent of players who were Black, per Statista.

While the league is moving forward with another revision to the Rooney Rule, it's tabled a suggestion by the Buffalo Bills to delay all interviews until after the conference championship games and all hires until after the Super Bowl, per Pelissero.

Buffalo had several assistant coaches who generated interest near the end of last season, including defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who's Black, but many hires are often made before those assistants finish the playoffs with their current team.

The updated Rooney Rule is expected to take effect before the next hiring cycle begins following the 2021 regular season.