Chiefs’ Steve Spagnuolo wouldn’t mind another opportunity to be an NFL head coach
Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will draw headlines in coming weeks linking his name as a potential head coach candidate for various NFL teams.
All for good reason, of course, as Bieniemy has drawn interviews around the league in the past two seasons.
Bieiniemy, however, isn’t alone among the Chiefs’ coaching staff when it comes to guys desiring an opportunity to lead his own team.
As it turns out, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wouldn’t mind another chance to be a head coach.
“The fire burns in me for that,” Spagnuolo said Thursday.
The 61-year-old defensive coordinator has been at the helm as a full-time head coach just once in his long coaching career, which dates to 1981, when he was a graduate-assistant at Massachusetts.
Following two seasons as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants from 2007 to 2008, which included a win in Super Bowl XLII over the heavily favored New England Patriots, he took over the then-St. Louis Rams in 2009.
Success, though, proved difficult to achieve in St. Louis and Spagnuolo’s teams went 10-39 from 2009-11 before the Rams let him go.
“I had that one opportunity ... things didn’t work out,” he said.
After stops with the New Orleans Saints (2012) and Baltimore Ravens (2013-14), Spagnuolo returned to the Giants’ coaching staff under Ben McAdoo in 2015. He would then serve as the interim head coach to close out the 2017 seaons after the Giants fired McAdoo.
In total, Spagnuolo holds an 11-41 record as a head coach.
The Chiefs brought in Spagnuolo in 2019 to replace Bob Sutton and the defense experienced an immediate turnaround en route to a Super Bowl championship. This season, the Chiefs defense ranks at or near of the middle of numerous statistical categories and the team is primed for another run at the Super Bowl.
“Listen, I want to say this: I’m really happy with the job I’ve got,” Spagnuolo said. “So, I’m good there.”
But if the ideal job presented itself to return to head coaching duties came up?
“Certainly would love that opportunity,” Spagnuolo said.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Chiefs’ Steve Spagnuolo wouldn’t mind another opportunity to be an NFL head coach."
