SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The mist is rolling off the San Francisco Bay, but the cloud hanging over Roger Goodell’s annual “State of the League” address is decidedly darker. With Super Bowl LX just five days away, the Commissioner didn’t get to focus solely on the New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks showdown. Instead, he faced a firing squad of questions regarding a statistic that has rocked the league: 0 for 10.
Ten head coaching vacancies opened this cycle. Zero went to Black candidates. And with the departure of long-time Steelers icon Mike Tomlin earlier this offseason, the NFL heads into the 2026 season with a stark reality: only three Black head coaches remain holding the clipboard.
“More Work to Do”
Standing at the podium inside the Levi’s Stadium media center, Goodell didn’t dodge the numbers, though his answers felt like a familiar refrain to frustrated advocates.
“I believe diversity is good for us,” Goodell insisted, his tone serious amidst the flashing cameras. “I think we have become more diverse across every platform, including coaching. But we still have more work to do. There’s got to be more steps, and we’re evaluating everything that we’re doing, including our accelerator program.”
The numbers paint a brutal picture of regression. The “survivors” club is now down to just three names:
- DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
- Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Aaron Glenn (New York Jets)
The only minority hire in this entire ten-team carousel was the Tennessee Titans’ move to bring in Robert Saleh. The former 49ers defensive coordinator, who is of Lebanese descent, returns to the head coaching ranks after his previous stint in New York, breaking the shutout of minority candidates but doing little to quell the anger regarding Black candidates being bypassed entirely.
Bad Bunny, Big Noise
While the boardroom politics dominated the morning, the afternoon shifted to the stage. Goodell doubled down on his defense of the Super Bowl 60 halftime act, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny. Critics have fired shots at the selection, but the Commish wasn’t having it.
“Bad Bunny is one of the greatest artists in the world… he understood the platform,” Goodell said, pivoting to a lighter note. “This platform is used to unite people.”
“It feels like we’re moving backward. You lose a legend like Tomlin, and the cycle produces a goose egg? It’s hard to tell young assistants to ‘trust the process’ when the process looks like this.” — Anonymous AFC Defensive Coordinator
What’s Next: The 2026 Draft & The “Pavia” Question
With the hiring cycle closed, all eyes turn to the 2026 NFL Draft in April. The discourse is already heating up, specifically around polarizing QB prospect Diego Pavia. Despite concerns about his height and arm talent, he’s become the lightning rod of this class. As one Super Bowl champion noted this week, “He was never gonna be a 1st-round pick,” yet his grit is keeping him in the Day 2 conversation.
For Goodell and the league office, the offseason challenge is clear: The Accelerator Program is under the microscope. If the 2027 cycle repeats these numbers, “evaluating everything” won’t be enough of an answer.
