The fallout has begun: Antonio Pierce is out.

Brian Callahan remains.

Jerod Mayo is out.

Brian Daboll remains.

Ran Carthon is out.

Trent Baalke remains.

Notice a trend in the NFL hiring and firing cycle?

Pierce, Mayo, and Carthon are Black coaches, and they were given an extraordinarily brief period to demonstrate their capabilities in their roles before facing termination, alongside dismal records.

Callahan, Daboll, and Baalke are white, and they too have poor win-loss records. However, they have been granted more time to continue in their jobs, regardless of their performances.

It’s important to note that each case has specific circumstances, and Black coaches weren’t the only ones let go as teams revamped their staff.

Nevertheless, the NFL has a long history of limited opportunities for minority coaches, which stands in stark contrast to their proclaimed values of equality. The recent decisions highlight a troubling trend that the league should be held accountable for.

We’ve all heard about “sham” interviews. This has led Brian Flores, former Miami Dolphins head coach and current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, to initiate an ongoing class-action lawsuit against the NFL and multiple teams for alleged racial bias and deceitful hiring practices designed to meet the Rooney Rule requirements.

The converse issue is the situation of “sham” opportunities.

Data from YSL News Sports’ NFL Coaches Project reveals that since the Rooney Rule was put in place in 2003, minority coaches are over three times more likely to be dismissed after one season compared to their white counterparts, as seen with Pierce and Mayo. The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview minority candidates for key coaching and executive roles.

Let’s look at some statistics:

• Out of 139 head coaches in the NFL since 2003, 19 (13.7%) were let go after just one season in at least one of their jobs.
• Among 111 white coaches, 11 (9.7%) were one-and-done.
• In contrast, of the 26 non-white coaches, 8 (30.8%) lasted only one season.

This isn’t merely a “double” standard; it suggests that minority coaches face a “triple” standard in the NFL.

This analysis doesn’t even include instances where Black coaches were dismissed after holding the position for several seasons, like Lovie Smith and Jim Caldwell, despite achieving winning records.

While some teams have made genuine efforts to honor the intent behind the Rooney Rule, the overall trend of swiftly revoking opportunities for minority coaches illustrates how the league continues to fall short in achieving equitable treatment.

Pierce, who took over as the Las Vegas Raiders coach nearly a year ago after a successful interim stint (5-4), was dismissed after his team’s 4-13 season. Interestingly, first-year General Manager Tom Telesco has retained his position.

Mayo, who was promoted from his role as linebackers coach to replace Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots, faced termination after finishing with a 4-13 record. This decision came despite Patriots owner Robert Kraft acknowledging that he had placed the rookie coach in a “difficult situation” given the team’s lack of talent and had previously established a succession plan in 2023 designating Mayo as the future head coach.

In contrast, Callahan, who recently completed his first season with a record of 3-14 as the Tennessee Titans coach, has retained his position. Despite being a first-time head coach, the Titans organization appears committed to keeping him.

“He was navigating the challenges of being a first-time head coach and play-caller,” said Chad Brinker, the Titans’ president of football operations. His remarks were shared on the team’s website. “There are various obstacles, such as building a team culture, evaluating both current and future talent, fostering trust and communication, and aligning the coaching staff with the front office and ownership.”

This sentiment isn’t directed at Callahan specifically; it’s a positive development for him. However, it draws a stark contrast to the lack of similar support and time that Pierce and Mayo received.

Brinker continued, “We believe in Brian and want to provide him with the opportunity to develop into the head coach we envision for him… Building a program takes time.”

Time is key. The Detroit Lions have experienced significant transformation under Coach Dan Campbell, who started with a record of 3-13-1 in his debut season in 2021. By maintaining confidence in Campbell and GM Brad Holmes, the Lions have turned their fortunes around, boasting a record of 29-8, including postseason play, and securing the No. 1 seed for the upcoming NFC playoffs.

As for the San Francisco 49ers, they may not have made the playoffs this season, but under Coach Kyle Shanahan, they reached two Super Bowls in the last five years. The 49ers initially struggled with records of 6-10 and 4-12, but time worked in Shanahan’s favor.

In contrast, Pierce and Mayo were not afforded a similar chance or the necessary support to develop in their roles, like the opportunity given to Callahan.

Were they set up to fail from the beginning? It certainly seems that way. It raises the question of whether they should have been hired at all if they weren’t going to receive strong backing from Kraft and Raiders owner Mark Davis. Notably, both Pierce and Mayo lacked prior experience as coordinators. However, Callahan had previously coached with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals’ offensive coordinator had no prior experience calling plays before stepping into a head coaching role. This illustrates a common risk tied to hiring inexperienced, first-time coaches. Nonetheless, time is crucial.

On the other hand, the New York Giants have retained their rookie head coach. Brian Daboll, supported by GM Joe Schoen, remains in his position after finishing with a 3-14 record in his third year. Giants co-owner John Mara expressed this week that his patience is running low, but it seems more enduring than what was shown to Pierce and Mayo.

Furthermore, Carthon was let go after amassing a record of 9-25 over two seasons as the General Manager of the Titans. With additional time, he might have been able to match or surpass the 26-44 record that Baalke holds after four seasons as the GM of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

However, he is also out. Baalke remains while the Jaguars dismissed coach Doug Pederson, who couldn’t achieve better than a 4-13 record in 2024 with a roster praised by team owner Shad Khan as the most talented he’s encountered during his tenure.

Until recently, there were rumors suggesting that both Pederson and Baalke would be leaving.

If Carthon had stayed, he would have had the first overall pick in the impending NFL draft at his disposal. Now, that’s an advantage for Brinker, who Carthon appointed as his assistant GM last year.

This situation echoes what Steve Wilks faced during his brief time as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. Wilks was let go before the Cardinals had a chance to use the first overall pick in 2019 to draft Kyler Murray.

The next head coach of the Patriots will also step into a lucrative situation, with over $95 million available in salary cap space for 2025, which is the largest in the NFL. It’s unfortunate timing for Mayo, as he didn’t benefit from this when he took over for Belichick.

Carthon might be pondering how he ended up on the outside looking in after hiring Brinker and leading the charge to employ Callahan just last year. The optics are quite unusual. Brinker, who spent 13 years working in personnel with the Green Bay Packers, was brought in by Carthon. Now he’s rapidly climbed the ranks to decide on personnel and will have the authority to appoint the next GM.

Given current NFL patterns, it seems likely that he will get more chances to succeed or fail than Carthon ever did.