The Kansas City Chiefs will be right in the thick of the NFL coaching rumor mill this year. The Chiefs have two head coaching candidates on their staff that other teams could be interested in — special teams coach Dave Toub and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. It’s also been rumored that the Colts, who fired Chuck Pagano, will want to interview both of them (the Colts connection being their GM Chris Ballard, who was previously in Kansas City’s front office).
Fans talk about these interviews being a distraction at this time of year. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about it. Coaches are being hired and if you want a chance at one of those jobs you may have to interview while your team is still in the playoffs.
The Chiefs two head coaching candidates could interview after the Chiefs playoff game against the Titans. If the Chiefs lose that game, they’ll obviously be available to interview because the Chiefs season will be over. If the Chiefs win that game, a team can seek approval to interview Toub or Nagy before the Divisional round. There are no interviews after the Divisional round.
“You normally just focus on the game at hand,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of the head coaching interviews for his staff. “There’s nothing you can do anyways. You are prepping for your game and that is what you are doing. They have rules in place for all that. That is what I expect from the guys. I have had a number of guys go through this. It has never really been a distraction so that is a good thing.”
The Colts seem like the team to keep an eye on with the Ballard connection. The Bears are another one who could show some interest in Toub considering he coached there for nine years. We’ll continue to track the rumors this week.