A handful of coaching changes have prompted some new additions to the NFL’s competition committee.
A couple of Seans — Rams coach Sean McVay and Bills coach Sean McDermott — have joined the committee, the NFL announced on Thursday. Their arrival fills two of the three seats left vacant by Ron Rivera, Frank Reich and Mike Vrabel, who were all fired by their respective teams either during or following the conclusion of the 2023 season.
2024 is shaping up to be another important year for the committee, which will evaluate the latest potential changes to the league’s set of rules regarding competition, player safety and possible further implementation of the latest technologies. The committee’s changes come just one week before the group meets in Indianapolis to continue its annual review of all aspects of the sport.
McDermott’s Bills have already had a role in a rule change that played a pivotal role in the conclusion of Super Bowl LVIII, the league’s second overtime Super Bowl in history and first in which both teams were afforded an opportunity to score regardless on if the first team scored a touchdown. After holding San Francisco to a field goal to start overtime, Kansas City marched down the field to score a walk-off touchdown and secure its second straight Lombardi Trophy.
The overtime rule was adjusted after Buffalo’s heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Kansas City in the 2021 Divisional Round, in which the Chiefs won the toss in overtime and scored a TD, winning the thrilling shootout before the Bills had a chance to possess the ball. With this outcome in mind, the NFL eventually adjusted its overtime rules for postseason games, affording each team an opportunity to score.
With McDermott and McVay now on the committee, its total membership stands at eight. Other current members are Falcons chairman Rich McKay, the Bengals’ Katie Blackburn, the Dolphins’ Chris Grier, the Cowboys’ Stephen Jones, the Giants’ John Mara and the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, who joins McVay and McDermott as the three head coaches currently on the committee.
