The Jaguars have requested an interview with Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for their vacant head coaching position, per a team announcement.
Spagnuolo is one of the most accomplished assistant coaches in the league on either side of the ball. He is the only coordinator with four Super Bowl titles, one with the Giants and three as part of the recent Chiefs dynasty. Kansas City has finished with a top-10 socring defense in five of Spagnuolo’s six years as DC, including an exemplary 2023 season in which the team finished second in points and yards allowed behind only Mike Macdonald‘s unit in Baltimore.
Spagnuolo has not been as successful as a head coach, though. He received interest from multiple teams after largely shutting down a historic Patriots offense in Super Bowl XLII and ultimately took a four-year offer from the Rams. Spagnuolo went 10-38 across his first three seasons in St. Louis and was fired after the 2011 season. He was never able to turn the Rams defense into a top unit, and the lack of consistent quarterback play doomed him on the other side of the ball.
Before joining the Chiefs, Spagnuolo had another stint with the Giants, coordinating their defense from 2015 until December 2017, when he took over as interim head coach. The Giants went 1-3 to close out the year, and Spagnuolo was not asked to return as a member of new head coach Pat Shurmur‘s staff.
Along with the Jaguars, Spagnuolo has also received head-coaching interest from the Jets and the Raiders. If he gets one of the three jobs, he’ll become the second-oldest coach in the NFL at 65 years old, trailing only his current boss, Andy Reid.
The Jaguars now have as many as 12 candidates for their head coaching gig after firing Doug Pederson:
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interview requested
- Liam Coen, offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interview requested
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interview requested
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): To interview 1/11
- Patrick Graham, defensive coordinator (Raiders): Interview requested
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): To interview 1/11
- Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator (Commanders): Rumored candidate
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Interview requested
- Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Eagles): Interview requested
- Robert Saleh, former head coach (Jets): To interview 1/14
- Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator (Chiefs): interview requested
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Mentioned as candidate