General Managers, Head Coaches and Owners: The NFL Org Chart
Who really decides what in an NFL franchise? A guide to how owners, general managers and head coaches divide authority, how clubs differ, and how the league ties 32 owners together.
When a team collapses, fans ask who is to blame: the coach, the general manager or the owner. When a team wins, the same question arrives in reverse. The answer depends on something that is rarely visible from the outside, which is how authority is divided inside the building. In some franchises the head coach has the final word on the roster. In others the general manager does. In a few, the owner personally holds both jobs.
There is no single org chart in the National Football League (NFL). Thirty-two clubs have organized themselves in different ways, and the same club may change its structure when a new leader arrives. What the clubs share is a set of three roles, owner, general manager and head coach, and a league structure that binds the owners together. This guide explains the three roles, the common ways of arranging them, and the league-level system above them.
The three roles
The owner
An NFL team is a business, and the owner or ownership group is at the top of it. The owner appoints the people who run football operations, sets the broad budget, makes the major decisions about the stadium and the franchise's location, and has the final say on who runs the club. Owners are also the ones who gather at league meetings to vote on league business.
Owners come in different forms: a single individual, a family, a group of partners, or a trust. Most NFL clubs are privately held. The league's rules limit certain kinds of ownership structures. Notably, the league generally does not allow corporate ownership, with one long-standing exception: the Green Bay Packers, a community-owned nonprofit with a board of directors and no single owner. That arrangement predates the modern rules and was kept in place.
Buying or selling a team requires league approval. A proposed sale must be approved by a supermajority of the owners, a requirement that gives the existing owners a say in who joins their group. The exact threshold is set in the league constitution; as a rule of thumb, it is three-quarters of the clubs.
The general manager
The general manager, or GM, is usually the executive responsible for assembling the roster. That involves overseeing scouting, running the draft, negotiating contracts and deciding on trades and free-agent signings, all within the salary cap. Our article on what happens inside a front office describes the staff below the GM.
The GM's authority varies. In some organizations the GM has final control over the 53-man roster. In others, the GM runs the process but shares or yields final decisions to the head coach. The amount of control often depends on who has the owner's trust, how the person was hired and the history of the club.
The head coach
The head coach runs the football team on the field and in the building. He selects the coordinators and position coaches, sets the culture, directs practices, and makes game-day decisions such as play-calling approach, clock management and challenges. The head coach is accountable to the person above him: the GM, a president, or the owner, depending on the structure.
A head coach's contract runs for a set number of years, and the position is notoriously insecure. Coaches are often dismissed after a few losing seasons, and the weeks after the regular season, when many changes are announced, are sometimes nicknamed "Black Monday" in reference to the first Monday after the schedule ends. The nickname is informal, but it captures a real pattern: ownership evaluates its football leadership after the season, and changes cluster at that time.
How the roles fit together
There are several common models. Real clubs often fall between them.
| Model | How it works | Typical tension |
|---|---|---|
| GM over coach | The coach reports to the GM, who has final say on the roster | A coach who wants a different roster must persuade the GM |
| Coach with final say | The head coach has the last word on personnel, often with an executive title | Roster and scheme are closely linked, but fewer checks on the coach |
| Co-equal reporting | The GM and head coach both report to the owner or a president | Disagreements go to the owner |
| Owner as GM | The owner personally runs football operations, often with a staff | Authority is clear, but accountability rests with the person who also signs the checks |
These models are shorthand. A club might use one model for years and then shift as personnel change. The label matters less than the answer to a practical question: when the coach and the GM disagree, who wins?
Why the structure matters
Authority shapes how a team operates in a few important ways.
- Roster fit. If the coach has little say over personnel, the roster may not match the scheme he wants to run. If the coach has too much, a roster can be built to one man's preferences and left stranded when he leaves.
- Time horizons. GMs and coaches often have different incentives. A GM may think in terms of multi-year asset management, while a coach, whose job is on the line each season, may favor veterans who can help immediately.
- Accountability. When one person has the authority, it is clear who answers for the results. When it is shared, blame is more diffuse.
- Continuity. If a coach is fired and the GM stays, the club has a stable base to build from. If both go, a new regime must start from scratch.
How the hiring works
When a head coach or GM job opens, the owner or president conducts a search, often with a search firm or a committee of advisers. Candidates interview, and the club makes an offer. In recent years the league has encouraged broader candidate pools for senior jobs through the Rooney Rule, described in our article on the Rooney Rule and how NFL hiring works.
Several practical features shape the process.
- Coordinators and assistants are the main pipeline. Many head coaches are promoted from offensive or defensive coordinator jobs. Many GMs rise from scouting or assistant GM roles.
- Interviews follow league rules. The league has policies about when teams may interview candidates who work for other clubs, particularly during the playoffs. The details change, so confirm them with a current source.
- Contracts can be complicated. A coach's deal has a salary, a term and sometimes provisions about the control of the staff. Our readers should treat reports on exact terms with caution unless they are confirmed.
- Timing matters. The best candidates may be in demand, and a team that moves quickly can get a first choice. A team with a late-season firing has to compete with others.
Who reports to whom
A simple way to see the structure is to follow the lines of reporting.
- The owner sits at the top and hires the next level.
- A president or chief executive (where the role exists) handles the business side and may supervise football operations.
- The general manager runs the roster-building side.
- The head coach runs the team on the field.
- Coordinators and position coaches report to the head coach and work with players directly.
- Scouts, analysts and operations staff report through the GM or football operations leaders.
The relationships in the middle, between the owner, president, GM and coach, are where clubs differ the most, and they are the part that outsiders find hardest to see. If you want to learn how a given club works, local reporting and the team's own announcements are better sources than any general rule.
The league above the clubs
The club is only part of the picture. The NFL is also a league, and its structure shapes what any club can do.
The owners as the league's decision-makers
The 32 owners collectively govern the league. They meet several times a year, and the largest decisions are put to a vote. Rule changes, for example, are generally proposed by committees and then voted on by the owners, with a supermajority required for passage. Our article on how NFL rules change describes the process in detail. The same body votes on matters such as approving new owners, awarding the right to host major events and approving relocations or expansion; see our piece on expansion and relocation.
The commissioner
The commissioner is the league's chief executive. The owners hire the commissioner, and the commissioner works for them. The office handles the league's business, from scheduling and officiating to discipline, broadcast partnerships and communications with the players' union. The commissioner has substantial authority in areas such as player conduct, but the authority comes from the owners and the labor agreement. Our article on player discipline shows how some of that authority is used.
The players' union
The NFL Players Association represents the players. The relationship between the league and the union is governed by the collective bargaining agreement, which sets rules on pay, the salary cap, benefits and discipline. The owners, as the league's governing group, negotiate it with the union. For the broader picture, see our guide to the collective bargaining agreement.
When something changes mid-stream
Structures are tested when a leader leaves in the middle of a season. If a head coach is dismissed or steps away, the club typically names an interim head coach, often a coordinator or senior assistant, to finish the year. The interim coach usually keeps the existing staff and scheme, since there are only a few games left and little time to install anything new. Meanwhile the GM and ownership decide whether the interim coach will be a candidate for the permanent job or whether a full search will follow the season.
The reverse can also happen. If a GM departs, the club may promote an assistant GM on an interim basis. Because the GM's work follows the calendar of the draft, free agency and the cap, a vacancy at the wrong time can be disruptive: a new executive who arrives just before the draft has little time to learn the board that the scouts built.
These moments show why continuity inside the building matters. A strong scouting department and an established cap manager can carry a club through a change at the top, while a club that depends on one person's knowledge may stall when he leaves. It is also why new head coaches and GMs often bring in trusted colleagues, or keep proven staff, as one of their first acts.
What the structure does and does not explain
It is tempting to treat the org chart as a full explanation for a team's results. It is not. A good structure does not guarantee good decisions, and a messy one can still produce success if the people in it are capable and aligned. But structure creates conditions.
- Clear authority reduces conflict and speeds decisions, which helps in time-sensitive moments such as the draft and free agency.
- Aligned incentives help when the owner, GM and coach share a vision.
- Stability gives a plan time to work. Frequent turnover at the top often resets the building.
- Strong communication matters under any structure.
When you read an article that blames or credits one person, ask what that person actually controlled. A coach criticized for a roster he did not build, or a GM praised for a team whose coach was the real driver, may be getting the wrong judgment.
Common misconceptions
"The head coach picks the players." Sometimes, but often not. In many clubs the GM has the final say on the roster, and the coach has input.
"The commissioner runs the teams." The commissioner runs the league office. Each club is run by its own ownership and football leadership.
"Owners just collect the money." Owners take on financial risk and make key decisions, including whom to hire and fire. They also act together as the league's governing body.
"Every team is set up the same way." There is no standard model, and clubs change theirs over time.
How to follow it
To see who is in charge of a club at any moment, check the team's own announcements and our team pages for current information. The staff changes with each offseason, and what is accurate today may not be in a few months. For the league calendar that drives many of these decisions, see the offseason month by month, and for how the roster actually gets built, read about the draft.
The short version
- Three roles anchor every club: the owner, the general manager and the head coach.
- Authority among them is arranged differently from club to club; there is no single NFL org chart.
- Common models include GM over coach, coach with final say, co-equal reporting and owner as GM.
- The right question to ask is who wins when the coach and GM disagree.
- The 32 owners govern the league through votes, and the commissioner works for them.
- Most clubs are privately held; the Green Bay Packers are community-owned.
- Structures change over time, so confirm who runs a club using current sources.