One thing about the NFL is it’s a league that is never averse to change. They’re always looking to tweak their mode of operation every year, changing things up for the sake of staying fresh. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. What matters is how the Chicago Bears are able to adjust to said changes. Everybody knows this franchise hasn’t been known for handling trends well in the league.
Well according to Peter King of The Athletic, a potentially big one is coming down the pipeline. News broke recently that the NFL was considering an incentive program for teams to hire more minority coaches and executives. Apparently that isn’t all. There is also a tweak to the rulebook presented that would no longer allow teams to block each other from interviewing assistant coaches for equal positions elsewhere.
“On Tuesday afternoon, during the NFL’s virtual spring meetings, owners will vote on these proposals:
Teams can no longer prevent assistant coaches from interviewing for coordinator jobs on other staff.
Teams hiring a minority for a GM job will have their third-round draft position improved by 10 spots in the draft in the following year.
Teams hiring a minority as head coach will have their third-round draft position improved by six spots in the draft in the following year.
If the coach or GM is still employed entering the third season after their hire, the team’s fourth-round selection would be improved by five spots in that year’s draft.
A team hiring a minority as quarterback coach would receive a fourth-round compensatory pick in the following year’s draft.
The team losing an employee to be a minority head coach or GM would receive a third-round compensatory pick, and a team losing a minority coach who moved on to be a coordinator would get a fifth-round compensatory pick, in the following year’s draft.”
This is pretty significant, and King believes it’s most likely to pass.
“I believe it’s likely the vote to allow assistants to interview for coordinator jobs will pass. There seems to be little opposition to it.”
Chicago Bears may see more coaching turnover per year than normal
The Bears aren’t strangers to losing coordinators to head coaching jobs. Vic Fangio was just the most recent example. Now though it appears the risks will grow that they can lose quality assistants to other assistant jobs. For example, prized defensive line coach Jay Rodgers could be plucked by another team without the Bears having the ability to block it. Not ideal.
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Then again, it goes both ways. This means the team will also be allowed to do the same to others. Assistants with other franchises will be free to interview for positions in Chicago without fear of being denied. Opening up the process like this could lead to a lot of turnover and continuity issues for coaching staffs in the future. Something that will be difficult to deal with.
