Here's the NFL's Timeline/Process for Hiring Coaches

The Arizona Cardinals are in search of their next head coach after firing Kliff Kingsbury earlier this week.

Arizona joins teams such as the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers with open vacancies.

Four candidates have already emerged to take his spot, as the likes of Vance Joseph, Sean Payton, DeMeco Ryans and Brian Flores have been requested by the Cardinals for interviews.

This will be Arizona's fourth head coach since 2013, so Cardinals fans aren't exactly foreign to NFL rules with how teams can proceed with interviews.

Per the league, this is the interview schedule for teams:

As of earlier this week, virtual interviews for open Head Coach positions can be conducted with coaches whose clubs are not participating in the postseason or whose clubs have Wild Card byes.

That's allowed teams such as the Texans to interview Philadelphia Eagles OC Shane Steichen. The Colts were also able to interview Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy.

January 17: On the Tuesday following Wild Card games through the conclusion of Divisional games on January 22, in-person and/or virtual interviews may be conducted with head coach candidates whose teams played on Wild Card Saturday or Sunday.

San Francisco 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans had four-of-five available teams request to interview him. His schedule figures to be jam-packed.

January 18: On the Wednesday following Wild Card games through the conclusion of Divisional games on January 22, in-person and/or virtual interviews may be conducted with head coach candidates whose teams played on Wild Card Monday.

This could apply to Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich or Dallas Cowboys OC Kellen Moore/DC Dan Quinn.

January 23: In-person and/or virtual interviews with coaches whose teams won a Wild Card game may begin for coordinator positions through January 28, the Saturday prior to Conference Championship games. All other interviews with coaches whose teams are still participating in the playoffs are prohibited until January 30.

Say the Cardinals decided to hire a coaching candidate immediately after the first interview. If said candidate wanted to bring on a coordinator, a potential prospect in the postseason would have to wait until the above dates.

January 30: Assistant coaches whose clubs are participating in the Super Bowl who previously interviewed for another club's head coach position may have a second in-person or virtual interview with such club no later than February 5, the Sunday prior to the Super Bowl.

February 13: Second interviews with assistant coaches whose teams were participating in the Super Bowl may resume.

It's quite the timeline, but the league has strict measures set in place to ensure teams currently competing in the postseason are able to have potential candidates remain focused on the task at hand.

Here's the NFL's Timeline/Process for Hiring Coaches

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