The Kansas City Chiefs hired Steve Spagnuolo to be their defensive coordinator in 2019, replacing Bob Sutton, who had held the position for the first six years of Andy Reid's tenure in K.C. Spagnuolo came in to fix a wounded Chiefs' defense, and while it took some time to transition the unit into what it is now, he's done a wonderful job in the role.
It makes sense that Spags would get some head coaching interviews. WHile Chiefs fans are hoping that he doesn't get hired away, the fact of the matter is that it could happen. Fortunately, K.C. has a few things in its favor (or rather, against Spags) in the head coaching sweepstakes.
First and foremost, there are now only five spots remaining after the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel to be their head coach. Ben Johnson is another popular candidate as well (assuming he leaves Detroit this time) and that will take up another spot. From there, it'll be a mad dash from the other needy teams to try and find who they want to lead their team.
Another factor working against Spags is the fact that he's been a head coach before and it did not go well. Spagnuolo was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams from 2009 to 2011 and put together a paltry 10-38 record in the role. He was also the Giants' interim head coach in the 2017 season and went 1-3.
The last factor working against Spags is his age. He turned 65 in December and while it's okay to have a head coach that's 65, bringing one in at that age might not be the best idea, unless they've proven to be really good in the role in the past.
Anyway, with all of that out of the way, let's now shift gears to looking at potential replacements for the Chiefs to consider if Spagnuolo is indeed hired by another team to be their head coach.
Dennis Allen
Sometimes guys are fantastic coordinators but make lousy head coaches and that's absolutely the case for Dennis Allen. This past year wasn't kind to Allen, who was fired by the New Orleans Saints after the team's 2-7 start (mostly after they lost seven games in a row after a 2-0 start).
Allen had previously served as the Raiders' head coach from 2012 to 2014 and did not fare well there, finishing his Raiders head coaching tenure with an 8-28 record. Sean Payton then brought Allen to New Orleans where the Saints' defense went from awful to amazing under his tutelage.
In 2020 and 2021, Saints defenses were ranked top five in points scored (meaning they prevented teams from scoring on them more often than not) and the turnaround he had with that unit was very impressive. Once Payton bailed on the Saints following the 2021 season, however, Allen was promoted to head coach where he proved that not every coordinator is cut out for that particular promotion.
That being said, Allen is only 52 years old and has shown that he has what it takes to lead a top defense. If the Chiefs had to lose Spags, getting Allen would be one hell of a consolation prize.
Lou Anarumo
The Bengals' loss could be the Chiefs' gain, even if Spags departs in the offseason. One of the only teams to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs during the Patrick Mahomes era was the Bengals, who were able to do so in large part because of how well their defense contained Mahomes. Credit there goes to Lou Anarumo, who served as the Bengals defensive coordinator from 2019 until this past season.
Anarumo was fired by the Bengals following the end of the regular season after two disappointing seasons for the Cincinnati defense, which was once a strength of the team. Sure, the Bengals have Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase on offense but those two lengthy playoff runs they had in 2021 and 2022 were aided by the defense and Anarumo played a huge role in those schemes.
The 2022 season in particular was a huge one for Anarumo's defense, as his unit ranked sixth in points allowed that year. The Bengals' defense going downhill wasn't necessarily all on Anarumo, as the front office let key players such as Jessie Bates and D.J. Reader leave in free agency and that ended up being a massive mistake.
It'd be pretty funny if the Chiefs brought Anarumo in after Cincinnati fired him and then used the Bengals' secret weapon against them in the future. Imagine him dialing up schemes to make Burrow's life hell. That's a funny image. (It can't hurt that Travis Kelce has mad respect for him, too.)
Robert Saleh
This one can be filed away under the unlikely category but hey, why not float the idea out there? Robert Saleh would be one of the best names to bring into Kansas City and the appeal of coaching a team with a strong chance to win a Super Bowl would have to be intriguing to Saleh.
Saleh rose to fame as the 49ers defensive coordinator during his time with the team from 2017 to 2020. Chiefs fans know Saleh's work well considering the 49ers were the team the Chiefs had to go up against in Super Bowl LIV. That defense made Mahomes' life hell in that game and it's still a miracle how the team came from behind to win the team's first championship in 50 years.
Saleh was hired to be the Jets head coach in 2021 and while, yes, some of the failure certainly landed on his shoulders, he wasn't entirely to blame. The team could never quite get the quarterback situation figured out and once the defense, which was Saleh's strength, started to falter, that was it for him and he was fired after a 2-3 start in 2024.
Saleh is fielding both head coach and defensive coordinator interviews for the 2025 season and if the Chiefs lost Spags, reaching out to Saleh to see if he would be interested in coming to Kansas City would be a must for the front office.
Hopefully the Chiefs don't lose Spagnuolo, but if they did, there are plenty of other skilled candidates they can bring in to replace him.