NFL Rooney Rule Change Proposal Explained

The Rooney Rule hasn't been getting qualified minority candidates into the NFL coaching ranks like many hoped it will, as of the 64 NFL head coaches and GMs in the league, only six are minorities.

One member of that exclusive club, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, thinks that the NFL doing crazy things like attaching draft pick compensation to minority candidates might change the rule for the worse.

Luckily for Lynn, these new changes, per an NFL proposal, are more muted and sensible.

Under these new rules, teams will be required to interview at least two minority candidates for each head coach job and one minority candidate for every coordinator job. Additionally, teams will be required to interview one external minority candidate for football operations and GM jobs.

Clubs and the NFL themselves must also include at least one minority candidate for senior-level positions such as team president.

If they decide to scrap that draft pick incentive, the new rules could help get more qualified minority candidates into positions of power while helping cut out some of the blatant nepotism that runs through many NFL coaching stats.

With just four head coaches of color (Lynn, Mike Tomlin, Ron Rivera, Brian Flores) and just two GMs of color, numbers that are at at 17-year low, it makes sense that the league is looking into tweaking the Rooney Rule. Moving forward with this proposal is a solid start.