The yearly NFL head coaching openings hit 10 this offseason. With the Pittsburgh Steelers surprising everyone in hiring Pittsburgh native and former Green Bay Packers Super Bowl-winning coach Mike McCarthy on Saturday that leaves just four openings left. Those being the Bills, Raiders, Cardinals and Browns.
All Current Hires In Head Coaching Cycle Has Been Caucasian Males
The Giants hired John Harbaugh, Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski, Dolphins hired Jeff Hadley, Titans hired Robert Saleh and the Ravens hired Jesse Minter. Every last one of those hires are Caucasian males and the likelihood that any of the four remaining teams hire a Black candidate is slim. Meaning with the retirement of Mike Tomlin earlier this month it’s highly plausible that we begin the 2025-26 NFL season with DeMeco Ryans (Texans), Todd Bowles (Buccaneers) and Aaron Glenn (Jets) as the only Black head coaches in a 32-team league.
Legendary Sports Reporter Rob Parker Calls Out The Bias
The obvious bias has Parker the host of the “Odd Couple” on Fox Sports Radio and founder of the steadily rising MLBbro.com site calling out the who’s who in the business.
Parker, who’s been known to always have a strong opinion posted this on his X account…
“It looks like NO Black coaches will be hired with 10 NFL HC openings. A disgrace.
In the NFL, peeps – including all the say-alot-but-really-say-nothing Black NFL analysts on TV – simply ignore this issue, turn a blind eye.”
Fans Chime In With Their Opinions
Parker’s comments definitely drew varying opinions from fans about the matter.
Former NFL player Kerry Rhodes had this to say…
“Rob we talked about it.. as long as the bottom line isn’t taking a hit, it won’t change.”
Another fan went in with this…
“Same shit different decade!! At this point, it’s a waste of time, and energy to know there truth will always be just that!
These Owners, GM’s, etc., will always have the same mentality when it comes to black men being head coaches, and black men being QB’s in the league–
It took them 67yrs to see a black QB win a SB- Doug Williams and only 2 black QB’s started consistently that year 1987. When we all know the talent outweighed the product on the field.
All these black coordinators being promoted to HC and getting one and done situations, when you have white HC with losing seasons, year in and year out, getting 4 or 5yrs, even in some cases extensions–
So, they don’t have to tell us their racist, biased, prejudice, etc– Actions define who you are! And when it comes to black men having HC/QB/GM/Executive jobs in the NFL, the data doesn’t lie! Shit is wild.”
“Things will never change. They continue to hiring white coaches with losing records instead of Black coaches hungry to prove themselves. This is the nfl, this is America. People wonder why DEI is a thing, because nepotism is still prevalent,” another fan said.
“But they need us to win,” another fan said.
Why So Few Black Coaches In NFL? Players Taking Notice
Since the league’s inception it’s been an uphill battle for Black coaches. The peak for the sport as it pertains to Black head coaches was in 2011 with eight. Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton spoke about the issue in February 2025, and he kept short and sweet.
“Networking and nepotism. For Black people it’s an uphill battle.”
Washington Commanders star Terry McLaurin piggybacked Hamilton’s comments with his own view.
“Now that you mention it,” McLaurin said, “I’ve never had a Black head coach in high school, college or the NFL. Coordinators and position coaches only.”
“You can’t just overlook that discrepancy,” McLaurin said. “Obviously, you want the best candidate for the job, whether it’s someone who is Black, white, Asian or whoever. However, when you have a big representation of African-American players that are in your league, you would like to see that represented in coaching, as well.”
One and Done
Over 25 seasons from 2000 through 2024, an AP count shows, 31 of 173 new NFL coaches — 18% — are Black. In that same span, eight of the 19 head coaches — 42% — fired after their first full season are Black.
And following this coaching cycle that number doesn’t look like it will increase in any way, shape or form.
