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
Author: Okla Jones
Read the original article on Essence.