Byron Leftwich, who helped lead Tom Brady to a Super Bowl title as offensive coordinator while in Tampa Bay, is among Black coaches who have been frozen out of NFL offensive coordinator jobs the last two years. Credit: Getty Images

The NFL has Black people bent.

That’s a nicer way of saying the NFL has us #%&@ up! And this is deeper than the one of seven head coaching vacancies that went to Black coaching candidates this hiring cycle.

It’s the “oh-fer” the NFL went when hiring Black offensive coordinators for the second year in a row. And if you are keeping score, the NFL has gone 29-for-29 in hiring non-Black offensive coordinators in the last two years, and right now there isn’t one Black offensive coordinator in the league.

Then, to bring it home for you Houstonians, your Texans are among those teams that hired an offensive coordinator in this NFL hiring cycle.

This is a snapshot of why this country still needs laws and guidelines, such as DEI and Affirmative Action, to force white people to do the right thing when it comes to hiring and promoting folks who don’t look like them. It’s also further proof that the toothless Rooney Rule, which has been around the NFL since 2003, is a joke because just assuring a minority is interviewed for a job is far from guaranteeing anything.

And before white people chime in, if you believe there isn’t at least one Black man who is better than the last 29 offensive coordinators hired in the NFL then you are lying to yourself. Black quarterbacks were once dismissed in the same way, yet twice in the last three years, we’ve seen Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes go head-to-head in the Super Bowl.

One of the biggest head-scratchers is Byron Leftwich, who, as the offensive coordinator, helped guide Tom Brady and Tampa Bay to their Super Bowl LV win. Following the 2021 season, Leftwich was interviewed by a few teams for head coaching positions, but he was fired by the Bucs in 2023 and has not coached since. 

For those wondering why the lack of Black offensive coordinators is such a big deal when 14 of the 32 defensive coordinators are Black, team owners often hire offensive coordinators to lead their teams as head coaches. Offensive coordinators are also usually entrusted with grooming the franchise quarterback.

Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson has interviewed for NFL offensive coordinator jobs. Credit: Texans

Right now, there are just five Black head coaches in the NFL, including the Texans DeMeco Ryans. A handful of Black quarterback coaches also worked with some of the league’s top quarterbacks, including the Texans’ Jerrod Johnson. Johnson, who actually interviewed for the Raiders’ offensive coordinator opener this hiring season, was mentioned as a possible candidate for the Texans’ offensive coordinator that ultimately went to Rams assistant coach Nick Caley.

Baytown native and Washington Commanders passing coordinator Brian Johnson has worked with successful quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts and now rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and seems poised for an offensive coordinator job. Credit: Commanders

But Johnson is far from the only potential offensive coordinator candidate passed over. Also deserving serious consideration as an up-and-coming NFL offensive coordinator are Baytown native and Washington Commanders’ offensive pass game coordinator and assistant head coach Brian Johnson, Los Angeles Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady, Minnesota Vikings receiver coach Keenan McCardell, Detroit Lions running back coach Scottie Montgomery, and the list goes on. 

The NFL ain’t fooling us. It’s time to do better. 

I've been with The Defender since August 2019. I'm a long-time sportswriter who has covered everything from college sports to the Texans and Rockets during my 16 years of living in the Houston market....