NFL Now Requiring Both Coaches to Do In-Game Interviews

Change will be effective for the 2024 NFL season.

Jun 5, 2024; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel speaks to reporters during mandatory minicamp at Baptist Health Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio rolled up his sleeves and dug into the 2,506-page transcript from the Sunday Ticket trial, along the way unearthing some news.

Cathy Yancy, who serves as the NFL's vice president of broadcasting rights, policies and compliance, testified that beginning in the 2024 season, both head coaches will be required to give interviews during games.

"This year, we have a new policy going into effect where all of the clubs are going to have to make a head coach available live for an interview during the game,” Yancy said. “Each team has to provide a head coach; one in the first half, one in the second half. And that’s for all teams, and it’s available for all TV partners."

This is a change from previous years, when coaches had the choice of answering questions on the way into or out of the locker room for halftime.

Obviously, this is a move aimed at giving viewers more access and insight during broadcasts. One could argue over the usefulness of these interviews, as an overwhelming majority of the time they exist only for the coach being interviewed to get through it as quickly as possible without saying anything interesting. Perhaps that can change over time as the league's coaching ranks turn over to the point where most coaches have grown up with networks shoe-horning these walk-and-talks into the mix. In the short-term we're probably going to have to sift through a lot of uninteresting and short answers as coaches play things close to the vest and run out the clock on their required availability.