When the coaching carousel started spinning on the morning of Black Monday after the close of the NFL season, it didn't take long for fate to smile on two of Andy Reid's coordinators. It began with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was quickly pulled in, moving from rumors to actual interviews for two men with the stated ambitions of becoming head coaches again.
The Green Bay Packers' playoff meltdown might have changed all of that.
On Saturday night, the Packers had the Chicago Bears on the ropes in the Wild Card Round, but Caleb Williams and company scored 25 fourth-quarter points to erase an 18-point halftime deficit and come away with a 31-27 victory at Soldier Field that will instantly go down as one of the greatest games in franchise history.
Matt LaFleur's status as the team's head coach going forward was already a talking point before the game, but such an epic collapse against a division rival in the postseason has a way of changing the conversation. After the game, the Packers head coach refused to address his job security, deflecting instead to questions about the game itself and the team. However, that didn't stop the conversation from taking place around him.
Matt LaFleur’s uncertain future could complicate head-coaching chances for Chiefs coordinators Matt Nagy and Steve Spagnuolo.
Nothing is official yet, but Nagy and Spagnuolo have to be crossing their fingers that the Packers stay loyal. That's because another strong entrant into the coaching carousel is going to make it very difficult for one or both to earn head coaching nods.
If the Packers are ready to turn the page from LaFleur, there's going to be a feeding frenzy for his services. When the Cleveland Browns made the call to can Kevin Stefanski as head coach, his phone began to ring immediately. Then the Baltimore Ravens parted ways with John Harbaugh, and rumors stated that he had calls from more teams than there were official head coaching openings. The Dolphins then decided to fire Mike McDaniel as head coach, which made the head coaching pool that much more alluring.
There are only so many head coaching openings to go around, and there's every reason to believe that Stefanski, Harbaugh, and McDaniel will be occupying three of those spots. If LaFleur is cut loose, that will be a fourth, even as the Packers open another option.
LaFleur has a 76-40-1 record in his career as a head coach. That sort of mark rarely becomes available—think Andy Reid to the Chiefs in 2013—so you can expect every team with an opening will want to reshuffle the cards already on the table to bring him for an interview as well. When you factor in trending assistants like L.A. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, for example, it might be challenging for two retreads to find the momentum needed for a new job.
Nagy has the best odds of the lot of Chiefs coordinators. He's already scheduled four head coaching interviews, with the Tennessee Titans as the hottest on his trail. Former Chiefs exec Mike Borgonzi is calling the shots as the GM in Nashville, so that bodes well there, but it'd be hard for Borgonzi to not be enamored with the idea of someone like McDaniel working with Cam Ward next season and beyond (as one example). The Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens are also interested in Nagy.
As for Spagnuolo, he stated earlier this year that he remains an ambitious man, despite not having held a head coaching post since the St. Louis Rams fired him in 2011. He has elevated his stock considerably since then, with a run as a defensive coordinator that's Hall of Fame-worthy. However, he's earned fewer interviews with the Giants and Titans offering to discuss the head coaching position with him.
If LaFleur enters the coaching chat, NFL fans are likely to see a reshuffling of the deck more than any influx of new ideas. Someone with LaFleur's resume is going to look very good to any owner in need of a new head coach, even if Green Bay is ready to move on. Packers fans weren't the only ones groaning on Saturday night. You could likely hear Nagy and Spagnuolo as well if you listened close enough.