The odd schedule of the NFL means that while some teams are battling to win a Super Bowl, others are working to hire the coaching staff that will hopefully bring them to the big game next year.
Unsurprisingly, many of the top candidates for open coaching positions are the coordinators and assistants for teams that are still in the playoffs.
The result is the semi-awkward practice of coordinators interviewing for what would be the biggest opportunity of their professional careers, while also preparing for possibly the biggest game of their professional careers.
It’s something every team has to deal with—both coordinators on the Detroit Lions interviewed with teams during the Lions’ first-round bye, and have since landed new jobs. Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was interviewing with the Cowboys while prepping his team to take on the Los Angeles Rams.
Some fans and pundits have questioned the focus of coordinators who choose to take such interviews, arguing that if they’re focused on next year’s job, they can’t also be fully engaged with the task at hand.
On a recent episode of New Heights, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce defended coordinators who interview during a team’s playoff run.
“Erroneous on all accounts!” Kelce said, when his brother Jason suggested that fans believed coordinators couldn’t focus on game prep and interview prep at the same time.
“I lost Doug Peterson. I lost Matt Nagy. I lost Eric Bieniemy, Mike Kafka. Basically every offensive coordinator I’ve ever had has gone somewhere else, and we’ve still had success,” Kelce said. “You have to give those guys the opportunity to better their careers, to strive for a new position. That’s the honor of being one of the best in the league, that everybody gets an opportunity to take that next step if they get it.”
You can’t blame a playoff loss on coordinators interviewing for head coaching jobs pic.twitter.com/rPmDuOe7NL
— New Heights (@newheightshow) January 23, 2025
Kelce further argued that Ben Johnson interviewing for a head coaching job was not the reason the Detroit Lions lost their divisional round game to the Washington Commanders, correctly noting that the Lions offense put up “31 f------ points” in the game.
Ultimately, the tension that is placed on these talented coordinators is the fault of the NFL schedule and nothing more. But as Kelce makes clear, he’s not looking to hear players or fans use interviews as an excuse for coming up short in the playoffs.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travis Kelce Gives Strong Defense on Coordinators Interviewing During Playoff Runs.
