The New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders have added a four-time Super Bowl champion to their list of potential head coach candidates.
The Jets and Raiders on Wednesday requested interviews with Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report.
Spagnuolo has spent the last six seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Chiefs. He has won three Super Bowls with the team while working under Andy Reid.
The 65-year-old Spagnuolo also won a Super Bowl as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 2007, when the team shocked the sports world by spoiling the New England Patriots’ undefeated season. Spagnuolo devised a game plan that held Tom Brady, Randy Moss and the best offense in NFL history to just 14 points.
Spagnuolo has coached in the NFL in some capacity since 1999. He has head-coaching experience, as he held that position with the St. Louis Rams from 2009-11. Spagnuolo was also the interim head coach of the New York Giants for four games in 2017.
While he has an overall record of 11-41 as a head coach and has not been to the playoffs, many people feel Spagnuolo has not been given a fair shot. He inherited a terrible roster with the Rams that had won just five total games in their previous two seasons combined. Even one of Spagnuolo’s former bosses recently admitted that the coach was not given a fair shot.
While the Chiefs are typically known for their offense because of Reid and Patrick Mahomes, they once again ranked near the top of the NFL this season with just 19.2 points allowed per game. It is good to see teams at least willing to give Spagnuolo the floor.
