The Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching search is heating up after the decision to fire head coach Antonio Pierce. The team has already requested interviews with Lions assistants Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.
They're adding a third name to the list. According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the Raiders have requested an interview with Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
The Raiders are requesting an interview with Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for their head-coaching spot, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 8, 2025
Spagnuolo is a major reason why the Chiefs have won three Super Bowls in recent years. He's built one of the best and most consistent defenses in the NFL. Kansas City has been fortunate to keep him and he hasn't been much of a threat to leave due to his disastrous tenure as the Rams head coach. He went 10-38 in three seasons before getting fired.
However, there's no denying that he knows how to coach a defense. He's one of the best assistants in the NFL. That doesn't always translate to being a great head coach as many Raiders fans know.
What makes Spagnuolo somewhat interesting is what he means to the Chiefs. If the Raiders hired him as head coach, they'd hurt Kansas City in the process. A lot of people think of offense when they think about the Chiefs because of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, but the offense hasn't been that good the last two seasons.
They very much owe last year's Super Bowl run to the defense. There are many great defensive coaches the Chiefs could hire to replace Spagnuolo but there's no guarantee they'll be as successful.
It's hard to see his upside as a head coach but the Raiders can't get much worse and maybe they could hurt the Chiefs in the process. That may be all the team can hope for at this point. It's unlikely Spagnuolo will be seriously considered but perhaps the Raiders can learn some stuff from him in the interview process.