This time of year is a time of change, with now one-quarter of the league’s coaching staffs in transition, and players exiting team premises, except for two teams for the next three months. With so much transition, here are my 10 insights on the coaching moves—or nonmoves—and the 2024 NFL playoffs.
1. I never thought Bill Belichick would have much of a market to be a head coach again this year, even with seven openings besides the New England Patriots. Yes, I know about his Super Bowls and his record. But, for teams, signing head coaches is similar to signing players: They are hiring them for future performance, not past performance. As this hiring cycle shows, teams want younger coaches with the hope that the teams can have continuity and sustained success for many years (similar to what New England had). Indeed, the reason that no one is hiring Belichick and Pete Carroll is the reason their teams decided to separate from those coaches: wanting new, fresh faces leading their teams from the sideline. Is this ageism? Well, if pressed, the teams would say they wanted to go “in a different direction.” And there’s no Rooney Rule for that.
