Lovie Smith was one of seven NFL head coaches fired today. He’s also a candidate to replace four of the other six fired coaches.
Smith has already been contacted by four teams about their head-coaching vacancies, ESPN reported on SportsCenter. The report did not say which of the six other teams that fired their coaches -- the Chiefs, Chargers, Browns, Cardinals, Bills and Eagles -- are interested in Smith. But if Smith is interested, he’ll be a very busy man over the next couple of weeks.
Although Smith was fired after his team collapsed over the second half of back-to-back seasons, it’s easy to see why other teams would be interested: Smith won three division titles with the Bears, reached the Super Bowl and was the NFL’s coach of the year for the 2005 season.
Some NFL teams may also be eager to interview Smith because any team that interviews Smith has satisfied the requirements of the Rooney Rule, which states that any team with a head-coaching vacancy must interview at least one minority before making a hire.
Smith was also a well-regarded defensive assistant, first with the Buccaneers and then with the Rams, before becoming a head coach. So if Smith wants to work in 2013, he’ll find a job quickly.