As the 14 playoff-bound teams set their sites on a Super Bowl title, the rest of the teams in the NFL are already on to the 2026 season.
With six teams already looking for new coaches, this month will require several top assistants on playoff teams to balance in both worlds.
The New York Giants, Tennessee, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Cleveland and Arizona have already fired their head coach, setting off searches for replacements that will include playoff-bound assistants.
The NFL has strict rules on when — and how long — those coaches can talk to other teams while their seasons are still alive. Here’s a look at some of the protocols in place for the coaching searches.
When can the interviews begin?
Teams can start interviewing candidates not employed by another organization as soon as they have an opening. But for coaches employed by other teams, the process is more formal.
Teams were able to start making interview requests for coaches under contract to another team beginning Monday.
For teams that didn’t make the playoffs, their coaches can be interviewed virtually three days after their final game — Tuesday for coaches on Tampa Bay, or Wednesday for any other non-playoff team.
The process is different for assistants on playoff teams. For the two teams with a bye, those virtual interviews can be held this week with Seattle’s assistants available starting Tuesday and Denver’s on Wednesday. Those interviews can be conducted through wild-card weekend and are limited to three hours in length.
For assistants coaching on wild-card weekend, they can have a virtual interview of up to three hours beginning Jan. 13, except for coaches on Houston and Pittsburgh, who must wait until Jan. 14 because they play Monday night.
What comes next?
In-person interviews with assistants who are under contract with other teams can begin on Jan. 19, unless those teams are still alive for the conference title games.
Those coaches must wait until Jan. 26, when either they were eliminated from the playoffs or have a bye week before the Super Bowl. Coaches on the Super Bowl teams are allowed to be interviewed through Feb. 1 but are forbidden from talking to other teams after that until Feb. 9, the day after the Super Bowl.
Coaches on the Super Bowl teams are not allowed to interview in person with other teams during the bye week if they hadn’t done an initial virtual interview earlier in January.
No coach can either sign a contract or agree to sign a contract until their season is completed.
What’s the Rooney Rule?
Teams must abide by the Rooney Rule, which was first implemented in 2003 to boost minority hiring. Before hiring a new head coach, teams are required to conduct in-person interviews with at least two diverse — minority or female — candidates who don’t currently work for the team.
The rules are the same for all coordinator positions and clubs must interview one diverse candidate for any quarterback coach job.
What about GMs?
The rules are a little different for interviewing candidates for general manager. Teams could start seeking permission on Monday to interview candidates from other organizations who weren’t the primary decision maker.
Teams must conduct in-person interviews of at least two minority or women candidates from outside the organization to satisfy the Rooney Rule.
A GM candidate from a team in the playoffs can accept the job before their season is over if their current team provides written permission.
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