There’s more than just the NFC North title and No. 1 seed at stake Sunday night when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings.
There’s also the timing of when coveted assistants from the Lions and Vikings staffs can interview for head coaching jobs. Coaches from the winning team will be cleared to interview three days after the game, while coaches from the losing team must wait until at least three days after next weekend’s wild-card games conclude.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores are considered three of the top head coaching candidates in the upcoming hiring cycle across league circles.
The NFL’s head coach interview rules allow the winner of Sunday night’s game to get a quicker chance at doing a virtual interview with another organization.
In the past, some, if not the majority, of head coaching openings usually were filled by or shortly after the divisional round. But now, the NFL is not even allowing in-person interviews until after that round is completed.
Assistant coaches on Sunday night’s winning team, the NFC’s No. 1 seed, can begin doing virtual head coach interviews as soon as Wednesday and conclude them before the end of next weekend’s wild-card games.
Assistant coaches on Sunday night’s losing team, the NFC’s No. 5 seed, can begin doing virtual head coaching interviews three days after their wild-card game and conclude them before the end of the divisional playoff games.
Only virtual interviews are allowed before the conclusion of the divisional round on Jan. 19. In-person interviews can begin Jan. 20, after the divisional round for coaches whose seasons have concluded.
No second interviews will be allowed until Jan. 27, the bye week, for Super Bowl coaches, and they must be concluded by Feb. 2.
Non-playoff coaches can interview for head coaching jobs three days after their regular season ends. The league has gone out of its way to ensure that teams abide by the Rooney Rule, and each coach supposedly gets a fair chance during the interview process. But the process, in the eyes of some across the league, remains flawed, no matter how much effort has been put into fixing it.
As one source familiar with the interview and hiring process said this weekend: “It’s clunky. In what world do you have to wait this long to hire somebody?”
Despite entertaining multiple head coaching jobs in recent years, Johnson has remained with the Lions (14-2), who enter Sunday night leading the league in scoring (33.3 PPG) and ranking second in total offense (410.5 YPG).
Johnson said last month that he is committed to focusing on the Lions’ pursuit of a championship but admitted “there’s a fire there” when asked about his interest in becoming a head coach.
Glenn is completing his fourth season as Detroit’s defensive coordinator. Despite long-term injuries to several key defensive players, including star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions enter Sunday tied for eighth in the league with 24 takeaways.
Flores, who is finishing his second season with the Vikings (14-2), told “The Adam Schefter Podcast” in November that he “would love” to be a head coach in the NFL again. Flores went 24-25 in three seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins before being fired after the 2021 season.
Under Flores, the Vikings are tied for the league lead with 31 takeaways, are tied for third in the NFL with 47 sacks and boast the NFL’s fourth-best scoring defense, allowing just 18.8 points per game.
Three teams — the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets — have fired their head coach this season and will be seeking replacements starting this month.
If the Vikings come out on top and secure a playoff spot, it could potentially delay any interviews with potential coaching candidates as the focus shifts towards preparing for the postseason. However, if the Lions pull off an upset and the Vikings miss out on the playoffs, the team may look to start the interview process sooner rather than later.
The outcome of this game could have significant implications not only on the Vikings’ season but also on the future of the coaching staff. Keep an eye on how things unfold this weekend as it could have a major impact on the timing of head coach interviews.
Tags:
