NFL owners are unhappy about how much draft compensation the San Francisco 49ers have earned for developing coaches and executives of color.
Owners in the NFL have more than enough things up for discussion at their upcoming annual meeting in March. Pressing issues such as the legality of the “Tush Push” and the hip-drop tackle will be at the forefront of those discussions. Whispers of other topics, such as the quality of the turf fields and controversial officiating, will be around but will likely end up being cans kicked down the road. Those are only the surface level of the iceberg of things the NFL needs to tackle in some form soon.
Add to the list an item addressed in a recent report by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham. NFL owners are unhappy about how much draft compensation the San Francisco 49ers have earned for developing coaches and executives of color.
For those who are unaware, in 2020, the NFL adopted Resolution JC-2A, which rewarded teams for developing minority assistant coaches and front-office executives who leave for head coach and general manager positions on other teams. Teams losing one minority staffer through HC or GM promotion earn that team a 3rd round compensatory pick in each of the subsequent two drafts. Losing multiple earns that team three years of 3rd round compensatory picks, with a maximum compensatory of 3 picks for any given draft. This resolution showed that giving these candidates real opportunities to succeed would be greatly rewarded.
The 49ers took that as a massive opportunity, as over the past few years, plenty of former staff members have been holding significant positions across the league. Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, and Demeco Ryans are head coaches across the league, with Ran Carthon and Martin Mayhew occupying General Manager roles. The 49ers accrued so many picks over the last few years that the compensation for the Houston Texans hiring Ryans won’t start until 2025. San Fran had already reached maximum compensation through this upcoming draft before that move.
Yet, despite losing so much talent over the last few years, the 49ers continue to develop across the board, and this season is just one game away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy and being Super Bowl Champions.
Those dissenting NFL Owners may now argue that the 49ers are being overcompensated with selections. Why? The 49ers have amassed a significant advantage that will make it much more difficult for other teams to overcome for the foreseeable future.
The funny thing about the argument is that the Rule is doing precisely what it was designed to do: incentivizing developing person-of-color candidates who historically have had a harder time getting their foot into the door. Previously, the NFL tried to incorporate more diversity in their hiring process by adding the Rooney Rule (2003), which requires teams hiring for prominent positions to interview at least one minority candidate.
While well intended, on its own, the Rule inevitably became an obstacle for teams to continue business as usual. It did not change the hiring process for the better. Don’t get me wrong, the Rooney Rule was a step up of the system they had before. Getting an interview–even a bogus one–could lead to future opportunities down the line. However, it became clear that you can’t fix the problem by giving teams another box to check.
So rather than focusing on teams just interviewing any minority candidate, this resolution encourages teams to invest more in development and reward them if they go on to bigger and better things. The argument of just hiring someone because they’re a minority doesn’t work because teams only get compensation for being promoted off of their staff. If the hiring executive doesn’t hire well and the team struggles, they’re still on the hook and may not get another chance. No matter what, teams must hire whom they believe are the best fit for the job. All this resolution does is encourage teams hiring assistants to give the edge to the minority candidate if they’re just as good or better than the rest of the field.
For NFL owners upset with this development, instead of complaining about the 49ers taking advantage of a system, how about doing this: FOLLOW THE 49ER’S LEAD! If your team hires new positional coaches or front office roles, thoroughly search the NFL and collegiate ranks for the next great assistant.
No one is saying that if you feel strongly about a particular candidate, you don’t hire them. No matter what, you must hire the right person for the team. Opponents earning 3rd-round compensatory picks are not ideal for your team, but it’s far from impossible.
The formula for success is the same as it has always been: hire well, draft well, and play well. What the 49ers are doing sets up more people to do just that.
