After Mike Tomlin’s Exit, The NFL Is Once Again Forced To Face Its Black Coaching Problem
The numbers tell a sobering story for the National Football League. At the start of the 2025 season, five Black men held head coaching jobs. Today, only a few remain. […] The post After Mike Tomlin’s Exit, The NFL Is Once Again Forced To Face Its Black Coaching Problem appeared first on Essence.
Black News 
Photo Credit: Cooper Neill 
By Okla Jones ·Updated February 9, 2026 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… The numbers tell a sobering story for the National Football League. At the start of the 2025 season, five Black men held head coaching jobs. Today, only a few remain. Earlier this year, Mike Tomlin stepped away from the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending one of the longest and most stable tenures in modern league history. For nearly two decades, Tomlin had been a fixture on the sideline, a Super Bowl winner and a model of consistency. His departure removed the league’s longest-serving Black head coach and one of its most visible leaders.
Two other coaches of color also lost their jobs, shrinking an already small group, leaving just three Black head coaches entering the new cycle: Todd Bowles with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DeMeco Ryans with the Houston Texans, and Aaron Glenn with the New York Jets. In a league of 32 teams, that number stands out.
The latest hiring round did little to change the picture; ten franchises searched for new head coaches this offseason, and none hired a Black candidate. The only coach of color to land a job was Robert Saleh, who is Lebanese American. This outcome comes despite years of public commitments to diversify leadership and the continued use of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates. On paper, the policy is still in place. In practice, the results have stalled.
This disconnect is hard to ignore, especially in today’s social climate. Roughly two-thirds of the league’s players are Black, and quarterbacks are becoming more and more visible. The talent pipeline is clear at every position on the field. On the sideline, opportunities remain limited.
When Mike Tomlin was hired in 2007, he became one of only a handful of Black head coaches in league history. He stayed long enough to outlast multiple front offices and coaching trends. His 19 seasons represented rare stability in a profession known for quick firings, specifically for coaches of color. Also, him being the coach of the Steelers, showed that a Black person can lead one of the most heralded franchises in sports. His success showed what happens when a coach is given time and support, but the question now is what comes next.
Last week, the league said that it will review its hiring practices again. “I think we have become a more diverse league across every platform including coaching, but we still have more work to do,” commissioner Roger Goodell said per a story by ESPN. “There’s got to be more steps. We’re reevaluating everything we’re doing, including the accelerator program, including every aspect of our policies in our program to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow rather than yesterday.”
Advocates continue to push for stronger accountability and broader candidate pools. Around the NFL, a new generation of coordinators and position coaches are waiting for their chance. Still, the hope remains that the next cycle brings more doors opening than closing, and that future sidelines better reflect the players on the field.
TOPICS: Black coaches NFLThe post After Mike Tomlin’s Exit, The NFL Is Once Again Forced To Face Its Black Coaching Problem appeared first on Essence.
