What are the rules for NFL teams granting permission to interview assistants?
January 2, 2015, 12:15 pm
SHARE THIS POST
Email
Yesterday word got out that the Redskins had requested permission to talk to three assistant coaches from other teams about their vacant defensive coordinator position. They were granted permission to talk to 49ers secondary coach Ed Donatell and Chargers linebackers coach Joe Barry but were not permitted to talk to San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. So what are the rules for NFL teams allowing their assistant coaches to talk to other teams about jobs?
The rule is pretty simple. A team can’t block an assistant coach, including a coordinator, from interviewing for and accepting a job as a head coach. All other moves, including from assistant coach to coordinator, can be blocked.
It’s not unusual for a team to let a position coach interview for a coordinator position and to let that coach walk if he gets the offer. Organizations that get a reputation for blocking their coaches from advancing their careers could well find themselves having difficulty in hiring good assistants. So they usually will go along.
Usually, but not always. A couple of years ago the 49ers denied Donatell permission to interview for the Saints’ defensive coordinator position. This year they are letting him talk to Washington. The Titans have denied tight ends coach Mike Mularkey permission to interview for the Bucs’ offensive coordinator position.
It gets a bit trickier with lateral moves. There are good reasons for the 49ers not to want Fangio, who has led one of the NFL’s best defenses the last four years, to get away to another team in their conference. But couple of years ago the Redskins let special teams coach Danny Smith take the same job in Pittsburgh even though he had a year left on his contract.
So, with the one exception of someone getting a shot at the top job, a team can deny permission for its coaches under contract to talk to other teams for any reason it chooses, or for no reason at all. But they had better be able to deal with the consequences that may follow if they deny too many of their assistants opportunities to advance.
Tags:
Redskins,
NFL,
Vic Fangio,
ed donatell,
joe barry
Follow Rich Tandler on Twitter @Rich_TandlerCSN and like Real Redskins on Facebook.