The NFL's owners approved a resolution on Tuesday that could upend the way teams handle their respective coaching staffs.
Before Tuesday's resolution, teams were able to block assistant coaches under contract from interviewing elsewhere. The only time a team couldn't block an interview was for a head coaching position.
That's no longer the case.
Here are a few crucial parts of the resolution, from the official NFL release:
- Clubs are prohibited from denying an assistant coach the opportunity to interview with a new team for a bona fide Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, or Special Teams Coordinator position
- Any dispute regarding whether the new team is offering a "bona fide" position will be submitted promptly to the Commissioner, whose determination shall be final, binding and not subject to further review
- In order for permission to be automatically granted, such a request cannot be for a shared position
It feels like a pretty momentous moment for young coaches trying to move up the NFL ladder, and it certainly impacts the Eagles, who have a pretty active recent history of blocking - and being blocked.
After Carson Wentz's rookie season, the Eagles blocked the Jets from interviewing then-quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo for New York's offensive coordinator position, a move that kept DeFilippo around for an extra year, and a Super Bowl.
NFL
Then, this offseason, the Eagles experienced both sides of the coin.
They blocked the Panthers from interviewing Andrew Berry for their executive vice president position, though Berry eventually took the Browns' general manager job. And they weren't technically blocked by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, but the Eagles avoided pursuing Mike Kafka as their next offensive coordintor because it was understood Reid would block the interview if they submitted a formal request.
If this new resolution had been in place six months ago, the Eagles' current coaching staff might look a bit different.
It'll also be interesting to see how this affects the Eagles' approach to hiring and promoting. They've been holding on to assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley for years without making him the team's offensive coordinator. The approved resolution could make it harder to keep Staley in Philly without giving him a true promotion, which is probably overdue.
Subscribe and rate the Eagle Eye podcast:
Apple Podcasts / Google Play / Stitcher / Spotify / Art19
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.