Raiders coaching rumors: Tom Brady's franchise linked with poaching major piece off Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs

And then there were three. Late on Thursday, January 23, coaching rumors went haywire as reports emerged of Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen going AWOL. As it turns out, Coen flew in to interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars once again after they fired GM Trent Baalke. The Jaguars are now set to name Coen as their next head coach, leaving Tom Brady's Las Vegas Raiders as one of three teams still looking to fill a head coaching vacancy alongside the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys.

NFL: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Source: Imagn Enter caption

Brady has been hands-on with the Raiders since finalizing a 5% purchase of the franchise. For all intents and purposes, Brady is seemingly leading their search for a new head coach after they finalized a deal to hire Tampa Bay's assistant GM John Spytek as their new general manager.

When it comes to their coaching search, it appears the Raiders have narrowed it down to two names - former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who's also drawing interest from the Dallas Cowboys, and Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

On Thursday night, CBS Sports insider Josina Anderson reported that the Raiders brass is looking at Spagnuolo as one of the options to replace Antonio Pierce.

"Former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is growing more interest from the Raiders brass for their head coach vacancy, per league sources. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo candidacy has also drawn interest from Las Vegas, as well. Two league sources, currently* believe Carroll is in the lead – but again this is still all up to the Raiders," Anderson reported.

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What would Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo bring to Tom Brady's Raiders?

Spagnuolo comes with a ton of experience in competing at the highest level. He has four Super Bowl rings in his coaching career, three of them with Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs who are now chasing a historic three-peat.

While the Chiefs offense has been all shades of grey this year, Spagnuolo's defense has made sure to keep rival offenses in check. Last season, Spagnuolo's defense allowed the fewest 20+ yard plays allowed (46), the second-fewest total points per game (17.3), the second-fewest opponent yards per game (289) and the third-fewest yards per pass attempt (6.03).

They also made it a habit to shut teams down in the second half, ultimately ending the 2023 season top of the league when it comes to second-half points allowed (126).

At 65 years old, Spagnuolo is also a little younger than Pete Carroll, who will turn 74 once the season is underway.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also believes Spagnuolo would make a great head coach. During a conversation on NFL Network's The Insiders, Reid told teams looking to hire his DC:

"They’ll get a great football coach, a great person. He understands the game, he understands the players. He deserves another shot. I’m one of his biggest fans.”

As things stand, Spagnuolo will be looking to serve the rest of the league another reminder of his defensive genius when the Chiefs take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.