The Kansas City Chiefs used to be no strangers to losing coordinators to other teams searching for a new head coach. That hasn't been the case as much in recent years but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has done a few interviews with some teams in need of a new head coach.
A reason why Spags might not have been a popular head coaching candidate before is his age (he's 65 years old) and the fact that his previous stint as a head coach did not go well. Spagnuolo was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams from 2009 to 2011 and he finished with just 10 wins. He spent a brief time in 2017 as the New York Giants' interim head coach and went 1-3.
With all of that in mind, it's not crazy that teams have steered clear of interviewing Spags despite all of his success as the Chiefs defensive coordinator. While Chiefs fans hope that another team doesn't poach Spagnuolo in the offseason, head coach Andy Reid gave him a glowing review.
While appearing on The Insiders on NFL Network, Reid was asked what a team would get if they hired Spags to be their head coach. "They'll get a great football coach, a great person," Reid said. "He understands the game, he understands the players. He deserves another shot. I'm one of his biggest fans."
Andy Reid couldn't help but heap praise onto Steve Spagnuolo
Spagnuolo joined the Chiefs in 2019 after Bob Sutton was fired and has turned the defense into a juggernaut. While it took a few years for them to get to the level they're at now, the defense was a massive reason why the 2023 unit went on to win the Super Bowl. It was clear as day how much of a difference Spagnuolo was to the defense after he helped turn a unit that Sutton had run into the ground.
Chiefs fans don't want another team to steal Spags from them but he is certainly deserving of another chance. Then again, sometimes guys are great coordinators but make lousy head coaches and after seeing how Spagnuolo did in St. Louis, even as long ago as it was, teams might be fearful of bringing him on, especially with his age.
Reid's endorsement of Spags is nice but let's hope teams continue to go in different directions for their head coaching vacancy.
