Updates

The NFL’s Career Development Symposium connects aspiring coaches and general managers with NFL front office personnel to learn more about the inner workings of football.

Sixty-eight NFL assistant coaches and front office executives will attend this year’s NFL Career Development Symposium, which runs March 19–21 in Phoenix. During the three-day event, the participants will attend presentations, panel discussions, and breakout sessions. Further, they will have the opportunity to network with owners, general managers, coaches, and league executives.

The speakers include:

•       Michael Bidwill – president, Arizona Cardinals
•       John Mara – president and CEO, New York Giants
•       Rick Spielman – general manager, Minnesota Vikings
•       Tom Telesco – general manager, San Diego Chargers
•       Mike Pettine – head coach, Cleveland Browns
•       Mike Zimmer – head coach, Minnesota Vikings
•       Bill Cowher – former head coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

Three former NFL general managers — Charley Casserly, Bill Polian, and Ron Wolf — will participate in panel discussions. All three are members of the league’s Career Development Advisory Panel. Polian and Wolf are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2015 and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 9.

The Career Development Symposium is directed by Robert Gulliver, the NFL’s executive vice president and chief human resources officer, and Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president of football operations.

NFL clubs nominate members of their staffs to participate in the Career Development Symposium. The final roster of attendees is approved by the NFL.

“The Career Development Symposium is one in a series of programs we offer to develop talent throughout the NFL,” Gulliver said. “We have pulled together the next generation of head coaches and general managers who will benefit from the insights of owners, current and former head coaches, and general managers as they look to take that next step in their careers.”

“The NFL constantly strives to make the best better,” Vincent said. “We have assembled the most talented individuals available to our game. Our job is to educate in order to mesh that talent with potential, bringing forward the future of our game.”

Five current NFL head coaches attended the previous two Career Development Symposiums as assistant coaches. Head coaches Jay Gruden (Washington), Pettine (Cleveland) and Zimmer (Minnesota) attended the 2013 symposium, and two head coaches hired for the 2015 season — Todd Bowles (New York Jets) and Jim Tomsula (San Francisco) — attended the 2014 sessions.

In addition, four current general managers attended the 2013 symposium — Ray Farmer (Cleveland), Dennis Hickey (Miami), Jason Licht (Tampa Bay) and Doug Whaley (Buffalo). 

See how the NFL develops the next wave of coaches and front office executives.