The New York Giants made headlines on Monday by firing Brian Daboll, in a decision that could impact the rest of the NFL. It could even affect Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, with a Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach seen as a potential candidate for the head coaching job in NY.
While the Giants have initially named offensive coordinator Mike Kafka as their interim head coach, they could still look for a permanent head coach next year. With that in mind, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network believes Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would be a name to watch.
Spagnuolo, who turns 66 in December, has played an instrumental role in the Chiefs‘ success with Reid and Mahomes, helping the team win three Super Bowls since taking charge of the defense in 2019.
His name tends to be linked to head coaching openings when the NFL hits the offseason, and it wouldn’t be a surprise for this to happen again if the Giants search for an outside candidate.
Not only is Spagnuolo a respected coordinator in the league, but he also has experience working with the Giants. Before winning multiple Super Bowls with Reid and Mahomes in Kansas City, he earned a ring in NY.
Steve Spagnuolo’s experience with the NY Giants
In his first gig as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, Spagnuolo helped the Giants upset the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. New York’s defense held Tom Brady’s offense to just 14 points, preventing Bill Belichick’s team from completing a perfect season.
Spagnuolo’s work with Tom Coughlin in NY allowed him to earn an opportunity as a head coach in 2009, helming the St. Louis Rams until 2011. After stops with the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens, Spagnuolo returned to New York for a second stint with the Giants in 2015, holding the defensive coordinator job until 2017. He finished that season as the Giants’ interim head coach, with the team going 1-3 on his watch.
It might be a bit early to tell how serious the possibility of a reunion is, but the risk could exist for the Chiefs at the end of the season. Teams usually look at successful coaching staffs to name their next head coach, and Spagnuolo has been a coveted name around the league in recent years.
Reid, Mahomes already lost a Chiefs coach to Giants
Reid and Mahomes know how lucky they are to continue having Spags on the coaching staff, as Kansas City has seen a number of coaches leave to work elsewhere in recent years.
Kafka was one of them, as the Giants hired him as offensive coordinator after his contribution to the Chiefs’ offensive success. A former quarterback who played under Reid on the Philadelphia Eagles, Kafka reunited with Big Red in Kansas City to start his coaching career in the NFL in 2017.
Kafka initially joined the Chiefs as offensive quality control coach, earning a promotion to quarterbacks coach for Mahomes’ first year as starter in 2018. The success of that decision led the Chiefs to trust Kafka with more responsibilities, handing him the passing game coordinator duties in 2021.
Kafka went on to help Daboll revitalize the Giants’ offense in 2022, with the Giants eventually adding him the assistant head coach title two years later. Now, his role as interim HC could be an audition to earn the permament job in NY. If the Giants like what they see, they may not need to target Spagnuolo. But if Kafka isn’t the solution, then Reid and Mahomes could face a real possibility of losing their DC.