Detroit Lions playoff misfortune is great news for Kansas City Chiefs' chances of keeping their coaching staff together
The Kansas City Chiefs could luck into keeping their coaching staff intact once again, thanks to the Detroit Lions loss to the Washington Commanders in the AFC divisional round. The Chiefs have been lucky to avoid coaching staff departures during their recent string of success. The team's offensive and defensive coaching staff has been left mostly […]
The Kansas City Chiefs could luck into keeping their coaching staff intact once again, thanks to the Detroit Lions loss to the Washington Commanders in the AFC divisional round.
The Chiefs have been lucky to avoid coaching staff departures during their recent string of success. The team's offensive and defensive coaching staff has been left mostly intact regarding coordinators getting poached for head-coaching opportunities by other NFL teams.
Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo has been in place since 2019 despite leading multiple iterations of the team's defense to Super Bowl victories. Matt Nagy has been in place as offensive coordinator for two seasons after Eric Bieniemy's contract expired, and he was given permission to seek other opportunities.
This head-coaching cycle seems to be different, at least regarding interest in Kansas City's coordinators. Spagnuolo has interviewed virtually with the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Jets, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Nagy has interviewed virtually with the Jets. So far, the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints have not expressed interest in either. It makes some sense, given that Nagy already failed as head coach of the Bears, and Spags was fired by New Orleans as defensive coordinator back after 2012.
So what does the Lions' loss to the Commanders have to do with this situation? They have two of the most prominent head-coaching candidates in this cycle on their staff: defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Now that they're no longer in the playoffs, Glenn and Johnson can take in-person interviews, and several coaching searches could accelerate to land those top candidates.
Glenn has interviewed virtually with all three teams Spagnuolo has interviewed with and the one that Nagy has interviewed with. He interviewed with the Jets on Jan. 9, the Jaguars on Jan. 11, and the Raiders on Jan. 10. Meanwhile, Johnson interviewed with Las Vegas on Jan. 10 and is rumored to be a favorite to land that job. Johnson also spoke with the Jaguars on Jan. 11.
The longer the Chiefs stay in the playoff race, the more likely they will keep Spagnuolo and Nagy. Coaches who advance to the championship round (Spags and Nagy) must wait until Jan. 27 to conduct in-person interviews. Teams that get eliminated and have head-coaching candidates, like the Lions, are far more likely to lose staff members than the Chiefs are just because they can conduct these in-person interviews.
It's highly likely that one or more of the jobs that Spags and Nagy interviewed for will not be available by the time they can conduct in-person interviews. Teams are notorious for being impatient with head-coaching searches as the postseason progresses, but the offseason is right around the corner, and having a plan in place is key.
Chiefs defender calls out Texans for string of embarrassing officiating comments after AFC divisional round loss
Kansas City Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson took exception.
