The NFL laid out the ground rules for its 2024 coaching cycle Friday, sending out a memo to all 32 teams, per CBS Sports senior NFL insider Jonathan Jones, about its new anti-tampering policies ahead of Monday when the 2023 season ends for more than half the league (18 teams).
Teams with head coaching vacancies can hold in-person or virtual interviews with internal candidates or coaches not currently employed by another NFL team at any point. Once the regular season ends Monday (Jan. 8), franchises with an opening will have the ability to request interviews with candidates employed by other teams. If granted approval, coaches with other teams may be interviewed virtually before the end of the divisional round of the postseason on Jan. 21.
If one of those candidates interviewed virtually prior to Jan. 21 is participating in the Super Bowl, a club will have the ability to request a second interview with said candidate during the bye week prior to the big game.
However, teams cannot interview coaches with other teams that didn’t make the postseason until three days after a squad’s last game of the season in Week 18. That’s Tuesday for eliminated teams who play Saturday and Wednesday for eliminated teams who play Sunday.
A similar procedure is in place for teams wishing to interview assistants with the Baltimore Ravens or San Francisco 49ers, the two teams with first-round byes this postseason. Virtual interviews can occur three days after Week 18 games, and they must be wrapped up before the end of the wild-card round.
Should eliminated teams want to interview assistants with teams participating in the opening round of the postseason, virtual interviews can be done three days after the candidate’s first playoff game, and then they must be concluded before the end of the of the divisional round on Jan. 21.
Following the divisional round, in-person interviews can occur since assistants for 28 of the league’s 32 teams will be concluded with their seasons at that point. These new changes are in place to even the playing field between coaching candidates in the postseason and those who are not, along with limiting potential distractions for their current teams that could occur due to these interviews.
These restrictions do not apply for teams hiring GMs and other personnel roles. Clubs can hire candidates whose current teams are still in the postseason (as long as they have written permission).
