Did Steve Spagnuolo play in NFL? All about Chiefs DC’s journey in pro football

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is one of the greatest defensive-minded coaches in the history of the NFL.

Spagnuolo has won three Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator, and he's the only coordinator in league history to win a Super Bowl chip with two different franchises (the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills).

While Steve Spagnuolo played college football as a wide receiver at Springfield College, he never played in the National Football League. Instead, he elected to pursue a coaching career upon graduation from college.

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Steve Spagnuolo's NFL coaching career

Steve Spagnuolo's first foray into the NFL came in 1999 when he joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a linebackers and defensive backs coach. Spagnuolo stayed with the Eagles for eight years before being hired by the New York Giants as a defensive coordinator in 2007.

Spagnuolo joined the Giants in January 2007 as their defensive coordinator under head coach Tom Coughlin. Spagnuolo orchestrated one of the league's most aggressive defensive schemes during his time with the Giants. The Giants famously clamped down on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, shocking Bill Belichick's historic side. Spagnuolo was praised for his role in the Giants' Super Bowl triumph and was immediately a name on everyone's lips regarding vacant coaching jobs.

Spagnuolo spent one more year in New York before electing to join the St. Louis Rams as their new head coach. Spagnuolo had a sordid first season as a head coach, leading the Rams to a league-worst 1–15 record. Things were better in his second year, as the Rams improved to 7–9 in 2010, although they later regressed to 2–14 in 2011. At the end of the 2011 season, Steve Spagnuolo was relieved of his duties as the Rams' head coach; he left with a 10–38 overall record.

After leaving the St. Louis Rams, Spagnuolo served as a defensive coordinator or assistant with the New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, and his old side, the New York Giants. However, it was with the Kansas City Chiefs that the defensive mastermind re-found his groove.

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Steve Spagnuolo is Andy Reid's not-so-secret weapon

Steve Spagnuolo was hired by future Hall of Fame head coach Andy Reid to be the Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator on January 24, 2019. Reid and Spagnuolo worked together while Reid was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, so the pair knew each other well.

The Reid and Spagnuolo partnership has guided Kansas City to three Super Bowl games and two trophies. The Chiefs have an established defensive identity to accompany their high-powered offense. Much of it is down to Spagnuolo's masterful defensive scheming and aggressive, blitz-heavy approach. Spagnuolo and the Chiefs are gunning for another Super Bowl.