The process of interviewing general manager and coaching candidates will be different with the NFL as the coronavirus pandemic is still a major issue for the United States. The nation is currently at an estimated 14.6 million cases with alarming numbers coming in by the day. With that being the case, the NFL released their guidelines for teams like the Jags who will be searching for new personnel come 2021.
Here’s the full NFL memo on new COVID-19 procedures for interviewing head coach, GM and other candidates — including virtual interviews only until the season ends, and mandates for shorter in-person interviews, masks and social distancing. pic.twitter.com/allPJvRZCt
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 7, 2020
The most important announcement to come from the NFL’s memo is that interviews for coaches and general managers will be done virtually for teams participating in the playoffs. However, once the candidate’s team is out of the playoffs they can have an interview in-person. Candidates who aren’t currently employed by the NFL will also have to interview virtually until the regular season concludes.
For those who will have in-person interviews, the interviewing team and the candidate will be required to wear masks and stay six feet apart. The league has also recommended that the in-person interviews be as short as possible, with meetings of 30-minute intervals being the preference over those that are two to three hours.
Another key takeaway is that in-person meetings that occur outside of a team’s city will be subject to COVID-19 testing demands, while NFL personnel members must abide by local, state, and federal regulations that concern quarantining, testing, etc.
As many are aware, the Jags will be looking to fill their general manager vacancy in 2021 (and probably for their coaching staff, too) as Dave Caldwell was fired Week 12. The protocols above should help them (and others) be productive in their searches, while also keeping everyone safe and eliminating the spread of COVID-19.