Chiefs position coach and longtime assistant of Steve Spagnuolo endorses him as head coaching candidate
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is garnering interest from other teams as a head coaching candidate. Spagnuolo could be interested in taking a head coaching gig if it makes sense, but he won't accept just any job. He's in a great situation in Kansas City as he's gearing up to try to win […]
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is garnering interest from other teams as a head coaching candidate.
Spagnuolo could be interested in taking a head coaching gig if it makes sense, but he won't accept just any job. He's in a great situation in Kansas City as he's gearing up to try to win his fourth Super Bowl in six years with the team.
It would be Spagnuolo's fifth Super Bowl title win of his career as he won one with the New York Giants back in 2007. No other defensive coordinator has more than three. One man who has been by Spagnuolo's side through it all has been Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt.
Spagnuolo and Merritt go all the way back to that championship season in '07 with the Giants. Like he has been with the Chiefs since he and Spagnuolo arrived in 2019, Merritt was also Spagnuolo's defensive backs coach in New York. Merritt took to X to endorse Spagnuolo as a head coaching candidate, stating that Spagnuolo will create a winning culture wherever he lands.
Spagnuolo is in the conversation for greatest defensive coordinator of all-time, but his short stint as the St. Louis Rams head coach from 2009-2011 didn't go very well. In his first season with the Rams, Spagnuolo went 1-15. He improved in year two with a 7-9 record, but regressed to 2-14 the following season. Keep in mind it was his first time as a head coach and he didn't inherit a great situation with the Rams.
With 12 more years of experience as a defensive coordinator now under his belt, it's probably safe to say he'll do better if he takes another head coaching job. As for Merritt, he could be the heir to the Chiefs' defensive coordinator job if Spagnuolo leaves. Merritt interviewed with the San Francisco 49ers for their defensive coordinator position last offseason.
Merritt has done an excellent job with Kansas City's secondary, coaching stars such as Tyrann Mathieu, Charvarius Ward, Trent McDuffie, L'Jarius Sneed, and Justin Reid. Having 21 years of NFL coaching experience, Merritt should definitely be ready to make the move to coordinator. The Chiefs typically hire from within when they lose coaches, so he will likely be a top candidate to replace Spagnuolo if he leaves.
Examining the likeliest path that the Kansas City Chiefs will take to reach Super Bowl LIX
Here’s how we think it could shake out.
