Following his HBCU and NFL coaching internship, former NFL star Antonio Cromartie is looking for a coaching opportunity to continue the second act of his career. Cromartie made the call on his social media accounts on March 27, posting a graphic showing his playing experience as well as the coaching experience that he's secured in the past few years.
“Looking for an opportunity and I’m ready to Go,” he said on his X account.
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Cromartie was one of the standout defensive backs of his era. Selected 19th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, he went from Florida State to the San Diego Chargers. In his second season, Cromartie made a major impact, finishing 4th in Defensive Player of the Year voting ahead of stars like DeMarcus Ware, James Harrison, and Patrick Willis. That same year, he led the league with 10 interceptions. Over his 10-year NFL career, he earned four Pro Bowl selections, an All-Pro honor, and played for the Chargers, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts. He retired in 2016.
Cromartie shocked the HBCU sports world in 2023 when he was hired as a defensive analyst at Saint Augustine's University, an HBCU in Raleigh, North Carolina. Before his stint wth the Falcons, he served as a Graduate Assistant for Texas A&M University under Jimbo Fisher, coaching defensive backs.
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In 2024, he interned with the New York Jets under former head coach Robert Saleh, which was a homecoming of sorts as he had two stints in his playing career with the team. Perhaps the four-time Pro Bowler could be in line for a job in the next wave of HBCU openings, as Deion Sanders's tenure at both Jackson State and Colorado has open the door in the modern day era for former players to join the coaching profession.
Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson have taken up the mantle, and Eddie George is transitioning from HBCU football to Bowling Green after a successful tenure at Tennessee State. Over the past few years, Sanders and George have shown that there is a path in the modern day for former NFL players, often deemed “celebrity hires”, to thrive.
But, perhaps Cromartie's broader coaching journey stars as a position coach or an assistant coach. He's already had positions in the college ranks on the defensive side of the ball. Perhaps he can secure an opportunity as a defensive backs coach or defensive coordinator, proving himself to have the prerequisite experience in player management and development to lead a team to success.
Nevertheless, Cromartie has the desire to become a coach, and programs should certainly look into providing him an opportunity because his sector of skills and experience could certainly help players become better.