“Rooney Rule Is a Joke”: NFL Fans Upset Over Just Three Black Coaches Among 32 Teams

The number of Black head coaches in the NFL is set to decline again heading into the 2026 season, renewing criticism of the league’s long-standing efforts to promote diversity through the Rooney Rule. During this year’s hiring cycle, 10 NFL teams opened head coaching searches. One week before Super Bowl 60, all 10 vacancies have effectively been filled.

Arizona announced Mike LaFleur as its new head coach on Sunday, while the Raiders are expected to finalize a deal with Klint Kubiak, accounting for the final opening. Out of those 10 hires, unfortunately, Robert Saleh, hired by the Tennessee Titans, is the only minority candidate selected. No Black head coaches were hired during the 2026 cycle, a result that has placed renewed scrutiny on the Rooney Rule, which was instituted in 2003 to improve diversity in NFL coaching and front offices.

According to the Associated Press, this marks the fifth time since the Rooney Rule’s implementation that a hiring cycle ended with no Black head coaches being selected. The outcome has already sparked backlash across social media, with fans openly questioning the rule’s effectiveness.

Reactions ranged from “Rooney Rule is a joke” to comparisons of the league’s coaching makeup to an “all-white cast,” underscoring the growing frustration among fans.

As a result of this cycle, the NFL will enter the 2026 season with just three Black head coaches: Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans, and Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets. The figure stands in stark contrast to the league’s player demographics, where roughly 70 percent of NFL players are Black.

The current total of three Black head coaches is only one more than in 2002, the season before the Rooney Rule was adopted. In 2017, the league entered the year with seven Black head coaches and eight minority head coaches overall, highlighting how representation has fluctuated. And, in recent years, has declined.

There was a notable uptick in minority hires during the 2024 cycle. That offseason saw the New England Patriots hire Jerod Mayo, the Las Vegas Raiders hire Antonio Pierce, and the Atlanta Falcons hire Raheem Morris, increasing the number of Black head coaches to six. The Carolina Panthers’ hiring of Dave Canales, who is of Mexican descent, brought the league to a record nine head coaches of color entering the season.

That progress proved short-lived. Mayo and Pierce were fired after the 2024 season, Morris was dismissed in January, and longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stepped down. Of the four minority head coaches hired heading into the 2024 season, only Canales remains in a head coaching role.

There has been some movement at the coordinator level during the current cycle. Eric Bieniemy returned to the Kansas City Chiefs as offensive coordinator, while Mike McDaniel, who identifies as biracial, was hired as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator after being fired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

On the defensive side, five Black coaches landed coordinator roles: Raheem Morris with the San Francisco 49ers, Christian Parker with the Dallas Cowboys, Dennard Wilson with the New York Giants, Patrick Graham with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Daronte Jones with the Washington Commanders.

Still, for many fans and observers, those hires have done little to quiet concerns. With all 10 head coaching vacancies now filled and no Black coaches added to the ranks, the league once again faces difficult questions about whether the Rooney Rule is producing meaningful change, or merely serving as a procedural checkbox in a system that continues to yield the same results.