For the last several years, the Kansas City Chiefs assistant coaches and coordinators faced a rather complicated picture when chasing further ambitions beyond their given posts. This year, the lack of a postseason run for the team has completely changed the offseason approach.
On the plus side, Andy Reid's staff members had quite the advantage over other potential coaching candidates: the sustained success as part of the NFL's ruling class. The Chiefs' run of five Super Bowl appearances and three championships in six seasons smiled on everyone, a section of the resume not found on others vying for coaching openings.
But there's a shadow side to so much success, since the league has severe limitations on when a coach can actually be interviewed. Annual deep postseason runs by the Chiefs meant that the coaches were not as accessible as others, which put them at a disadvantage. To make matters worse, a potential head coach hired away from the Chiefs would be way behind when trying to piece together a coaching staff of his own, since the frenzy begins more than a month before the Super Bowl is held.
A rare early exit flips the usual timing disadvantage and gives Andy Reid’s top assistants a clearer path in the coaching market.
Going into the 2026 offseason, however, the proverbial shoe is on the other foot. While every in-person interview cannot happen until January 19 at the earliest, virtual interviews can be held three days after a team's final game. Assistant coaches under contract with a team still in the postseason have to work around game planning.
The schedule is even more limiting for teams that make it beyond the divisional round. While it's exciting for the franchise to make it that far, individual ambitions are humbled by the fact that interviewees must wait until the week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl to start interviews. Unless a team is willing to wait for a specific coach, other candidates on the list have a serious advantage in the process.
All of this could bode well for candidates like Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The latter has earned four head coaching interviews with the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and Arizona Cardinals. The latter has scheduled interviews with the Titans and Giants as well.
Consider a team like the Giants, who also want to talk with someone like L.A. Rams DC Chris Shula. Currently, the Rams are set to play in the divisional round and have a good reason to believe they'll be advancing farther than that. If so, Shula will certainly enjoy the chance to play meaningful football so late in the postseason, but the Giants will have already talked to most of their other favorites by then as well. That's an advantage for someone like Nagy.
The schedule is not to blame, of course, if a coach doesn't get a job. However, when there are so many complex layers and considerations for a hiring team, the timing hurdles involved can help or hinder the process for certain candidates. For the Chiefs, this is a new wrinkle for those vying for jobs and it might end up providing a boost when all is said and done.