Good references are vital in the job search, but if Steve Spagnuolo really is on the hunt for a head coaching role, a lack of glowing recommendations won't be the problem.
Spagnuolo, who has served as the Kansas City Chiefs' defensive coordinator since 2019, has been linked to two of the current head coach openings around the National Football League. The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants are both hitting the reset button this offseason after firing Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll, respectively. Spagnuolo makes sense as a replacement in both settings, which is why references are needed.
Given how much his players, past and present, love him, Spagnuolo is going to have plenty of defenders championing his cause. The latest praise came from Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton, who works closely with Spags as the primary communicator on defense for the Chiefs in recent years. On Monday, Bolton was asked about the possible departure of Spagnuolo and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
"Yeah, he’d be a Hall of Fame hire, man," said Bolton. "Great dude, great human being, great coach, great mentor. I say all the time, he’s like a grandfather for all the guys in the locker room. He's there for you when and if you need him outside of ball, but also just in terms of ball, X's and O's-wise, he helps you progress your game, to get you to a place where you want to be. Also, just instill some confidence in your day-to-day.
Nick Bolton’s ringing endorsement underscores why Steve Spagnuolo’s head-coaching candidacy won’t lack credibility.
"In training camp, he's hard on you, but in the back part of the season, he's filling you with confidence, as you go through this long season, and giving you confidence with the ups and downs of how the game is. Selfishly, I don't want him to go anywhere ... he's a great, great, great coach, great mentor. He'd be a great hire."
Bolton has flourished under Spagnuolo's tutelage, growing from a former second-round rookie out of Missouri to a team captain and defensive cornerstone who serves as a coach-on-the-field for the Chiefs. Bolton was rewarded with a three-year deal worth up to $45 million ($30M of it in guaranteed money) for his efforts, revealing his importance to what Spags wants to do week to week.
Spagnuolo recently inferred that he still had the ambition to be a head coach in remarks to reporters before Week 18's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders that closed the Chiefs' regular season. Two teams, at least, heard his interest and are giving him a chance to return to head coaching once again, nearly 15 years after he was let go by the St. Louis Rams. Spagnuolo feels like a long shot for either job, but the references aren't the problem, if so.