Report: NFL expanding Rooney Rule; teams must interview 2 minority HC candidates

The NFL is expanding the Rooney Rule.

The league will require clubs to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach openings and one minority candidate for any coordinator role, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Teams also must interview one external minority candidate for senior football operations and general manager jobs, Pelissero adds, and teams and the league office must also consider minority and/or female applicants for senior-level positions.

The Rooney Rule changes are expected to become effective Tuesday following a virtual league meeting.

After minority coaches and executives struggled to land top roles again this offseason, the league was expected to change the Rooney Rule. It was reported last week that the NFL would also present a resolution that would reward teams with improved draft picks for hiring minority candidates, along with a resolution that would prevent teams from blocking assistant coaches from interviewing for external coordinator positions. Voting on those resolutions is expected to happen Tuesday as well.

Established in 2003, the Rooney Rule mandated that every team had to interview at least one minority candidate for a vacancy at head coach or GM before making a hire.

As of May 2020, the NFL had four minority head coaches and two minority GMs.