Jaguars' Awful Treatment of Patrick Graham Made Public

The Jacksonville Jaguars made the right choice when they hired Liam Coen to be the team's head coach in January 2025.

That doesn't mean the organization handled its coaching search the right way.

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With former Miami Dolphins' head coach (and current Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator) Brian Flores' lawsuit against the NFL proceeding in federal court, where he accuses the NFL, as well as the Denver Broncos,Houston Texans, and New York Giants, of racism and discrimination, the NFL's Rooney Rule has been put under a microscope.

The rule, named after the late former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney, has been in effect since 2003. It was expected to increase minority hiring by requiring NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for open head coaching and coordinator positions. That has been increased to two (external candidates) and now covers front office jobs as well.

Unfortunately, the Rooney Rule has not led to significant progress in the hiring of minority candidates. Of the 10 head coaching vacancies this offseason, only one was filled by a minority candidate. Robert Saleh, a Lebanese-American, was hired by the Tennessee Titans.

Minority coaches have become increasingly skeptical of the rule and believe NFL teams oftentimes only use them to check a box instead of giving them genuine opportunities.

Which brings us to the awful way the Jaguars organization treated Patrick Graham during their interview process in 2025.

ESPN released an explosive story about the Rooney Rule, which detailed Graham's experience with the Jaguars.

Stood Up At A Steakhouse

Graham, who at the time was defensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders, had already interviewed in person with Jacksonville and was invited to meet with owner Shad Khan and others from the front office at a local steakhouse to further their talks.

According to ESPN, Graham sat there alone, patiently waiting for a group of team executives who never showed up.

"Graham didn't know it yet, but the group of Jaguars executives had not shown for the dinner because, at the same time, they were discussing a contract with future head coach Liam Coen, who had reentered the interview process after withdrawing the previous day. The dinner marked Graham's second awkward moment that day -- two NFL sources told ESPN -- as he had run into Coen while he was leaving the team facility, the first sign that Coen might have had the job in hand even as Graham interviewed for it.

"The pain he felt that night as he waited at the table and for weeks after wasn't because he didn't get the job -- 'that's life,' he said -- it was because of the way he didn't get the job. 'I was hurt through the process,' Graham said.

"Once home, Graham collapsed to his knees crying on the floor of his garage.

"'It just made me think, like, 'Damn, I haven't done enough,' Graham, now the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive coordinator, told ESPN. 'Football is pretty high on my priority list. And it felt like the thing that I hold in the highest regard let me down and crushed me.'"

Graham was the second minority candidate to have an in-person interview with the Jaguars, making the team compliant with the Rooney Rule.

It is situations like this that have brought the effectiveness of the Rooney Rule into question and caused several minority coaches to refuse interviews when they suspect they are being used by a team for compliance.

Final Thoughts

What the Jaguars' organization did to Patrick Graham was disgusting. Even if Coen was their first choice, treating Graham with a complete lack of basic respect or courtesy is an embarrassment for the team.

Having a man reduced to tears because he had already served his purpose of allowing the team to say it complied with the Rooney Rule shows how flawed the rule is.

Having minority coaches turn down interviews, the total opposite of the Rooney Rule's purpose, out of fear they will be treated in the same way Jacksonville treated Graham, shows how flawed the rule is.

This is an issue the NFL must work diligently to fix. Out of the 32 teams, only three head coaches are black (DeMeco Ryans, Todd Bowles, and Aaron Glenn), while Saleh and Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers) are the only others who qualify as minorities.

That is not what the Rooney Rule was supposed to accomplish.

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