The Baltimore Ravens did not grant permission to the Cleveland Browns to immediately interview Pro Personnel Director George Kokinis according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The Browns won't be able to interview Baltimore director of pro personnel George Kokinis until Sunday at the earliest, said a source with knowledge of the situation.
The Ravens, in an effort to abstain from anything that would interfere with Sunday's divisional playoff game, said Kokinis or any other high-level employees (such as defensive coordinator Rex Ryan) wouldn't be available to interview until Sunday. And only on Sunday.
Included in the Plain Dealer report is that the Ravens will only let Kokinis leave for a promotion.
The Ravens have let the Browns know that Kokinis could leave the team only for a position that contractually gives him full authority over football operations. Whether the title is general manager or something else, he would essentially have the same authority with the Browns that Phil Savage had.
What does this mean for the Chiefs?
This is speculation on my part here, but I would assume this delays the Chiefs GM search by another week. Scott Pioli, who is perceived as the Chiefs' #1 candidate, isn't likely to make a decision if the Browns' offer is in limbo or non-existent because Kokinis hasn't been interviewed yet.
Pioli is reportedly interviewing with Kansas City today so if the two sides don't reach an agreement in the meeting, it's likely that the Chiefs' GM search won't conclude for another week.
H/T PFT