Kansas City Chiefs Rumors (original) (raw)

With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy splitting up, seven teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the now-HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 1-16-25 (11:39am CT)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/15/25

January 15th, 2025 at 9:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

Wednesday’s taxi squad moves:

Buffalo Bills

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Titans Setting Up Second GM Interviews

January 14th, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 14: The Titans’ second round of interviews will take place in person today, tomorrow and Thursday, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports’ reports. Once all six candidates have been met with, it would come as no surprise if a decision were to be made in relatively short order. Tennessee may well be the first of the three GM-needy teams to move forward with a hire during the 2025 hiring cycle.

JANUARY 13: Needing a GM for the second time in three years, the Titans are moving fast. Less than a week after firing Ran Carthon, Tennessee is setting up second interviews. One of those involves a candidate the team met with in 2023 as well.

Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham met with Titans brass two years ago, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the Ryan Poles lieutenant is in line for a second interview this time around. Joining Cunningham in advancing to this stage will be Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi and Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek.

We may not be at the finalist stage yet, though third interviews are virtually unheard of. Still, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray and Colts AGM Ed Dodds are also expected to receive second interviews. Ditto Jon-Eric Sullivan, per Pelissero. While this process is moving swiftly, the Titans still have several candidates in the race.

This batch of candidates includes some who are still in consideration for the Jets and Raiders’ GM gigs. Spytek, a Tom Brady college teammate, is on the Raiders’ radar early. Borgonzi is a Long Island native who has interviewed with the Jets. Sullivan interviewed for the Jets’ job as well. Beyond these three, none of the Titans’ set of second interviewees has been connected to one of the other available jobs. Though, the Raiders have not made official requests yet.

Cunningham would join the Bears’ HC search committee once he is no longer connected to leaving, but for now, the fourth-year Chicago staffer is in limbo. The Bears gave Cunningham an extension after he lost out to Adam Peters for the Commanders’ GM job. The Titans strongly considered Cunningham in 2023, giving him a second interview during the pursuit Carthon eventually won. Cunningham is also believed to have turned down the Cardinals’ GM job that year, with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort winning. Titans brass circling back with another second interview bodes well for Cunningham’s status this year.

Dodds has been on GM carousels previously and has been in the AFC South for seven seasons now. The Colts hired Dodds shortly after Chris Ballard took over in 2017. Dodds interviewed for the Chargers, Panthers and Raiders jobs last year. Gray met with the Bolts and Raiders but declined a Patriots interview request, joining others in doing so as the Patriots looked to satisfy the Rooney Rule for a job most correctly figured would go to Eliot Wolf.

Borgonzi was part of last year’s GM carousel as well, meeting about the Commanders job, but this year marks the first time he has met with multiple teams in the same offseason. The Chiefs have lost Ballard and Brandt Tilis from their front office during Andy Reid‘s tenure. Considering Kansas City’s success over the past several years, it would surprise if Borgonzi was not in the mix for the Jets and Titans’ jobs until the end. Both the Bucs’ assistant GMs, Spytek and Mike Greenberg, are on this year’s GM carousel. Greenberg has interviewed with the Jets. Spytek has been with the Bucs for nearly 10 seasons, two in his current role.

The Titans are giving Chad Brinker significant power, with the team’s former assistant GM — after having usurped Carthon — now president of football operations. That will affect the team’s next GM considerably, significantly affecting this search. Sullivan’s resume should be important here, as he and Brinker worked together for nearly 15 years in Green Bay. Sullivan has been with the Packers since 2004, learning under Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst. Brinker featured the same background upon arriving in Nashville.

Via PFR’s General Manager Search Tracker, here is how the Titans’ process looks nearly a week in:

2025 NFL Cap Carryover, By Team

January 11th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the regular season in the books, all NFL teams have declared their cap carryover for the 2025 league year. Unused cap space from the current campaign will roll over, a substantial element of many teams’ financial planning.

Last offseason saw a record-breaking jump in the salary cap ceiling (pushing the upper limit to 255.4MM).Tonosurprise,anotherspikeisexpectedbutasmalleryear−to−yearincreaseislikelytotakeplace.Itwaslearnedlastmonththatteamsarepreparingforthe2025captocheckinatafigure[between255.4MM). To no surprise, another spike is expected but a smaller year-to-year increase is likely to take place. It was learned last month that teams are preparing for the 2025 cap to check in at a figure [between 255.4MM).Tonosurprise,anotherspikeisexpectedbutasmalleryear−to−yearincreaseislikelytotakeplace.Itwaslearnedlastmonththatteamsarepreparingforthe2025captocheckinatafigurebetween265MM-$275MM.

As teams evaluate key roster-building decisions – including restructures and cuts aimed at manufacturing cap space – carryovers are crucial. It it still not known what exactly the cap ceiling will wind up as, but in the meantime every club’s space which has been rolled over will add a degree of clarity with respect to how their offseason will take shape. Several teams (including the top two on this year’s list) have made a concerted effort in recent years to carry unused space through the course of a campaign knowing a spike in cap charges for core players are forthcoming.

Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the full breakdown of each team’s 2025 cap carryover amount:

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/10/25

January 10th, 2025 at 10:11pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves and a few standard gameday practice squad elevations for the first games of the playoffs:

Chicago Bears

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles

McFadden’s waiver claim has been accepted, but since the Bears have no more games this year, it has been deferred until the first business day after the Super Bowl, February 10.

Jets, Raiders Request Steve Spagnuolo HC Meetings

January 10th, 2025 at 6:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 10: Spagnuolo interviewed with the Jets on Friday, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. He is the seventh coach to interview for the job in New York and has interested from the Jaguars and the Raiders.

1:04pm: The Raiders have also asked Spagnuolo for a meeting about their HC post, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. Las Vegas’ HC search is just now taking shape, and age does not appear to be an issue for the AFC West club. The Raiders have reached out to Bill Belichick, despite his North Carolina agreement, and now have another seasoned defensive coach on their radar.

Spagnuolo and Belichick’s HC stints could not feature a much greater disparity, but the longtime Reid assistant has certainly proven his worth as the Chiefs have followed Belichick’s Patriots in forming a dynasty this century. This will be a banner offseason for Spagnuolo, who has struggled to shake off his St. Louis stay to secure HC interviews.

12:49pm: Steve Spagnuolo has used his Kansas City stay to stamp his credentials as one of the greatest coordinators in NFL history. Elevating a defense that had held Patrick Mahomes back in 2018, Spagnuolo has helped a Chiefs that suddenly has not been able to count on top-shelf offensive work over the past two seasons.

The veteran DC’s first head coaching stint, however, has done plenty to keep him off the radar. Spagnuolo went 10-38 as Rams HC from 2009-11, plunging off the radar for future consideration. But he is now a four-time Super Bowl-winning DC. The Jets are interested in meeting with him and have sent an interview request, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. Spagnuolo is currently tied to a Chiefs extension he signed shortly after the 49ers showed interest in poaching him.

This Jets HC search has shown the team is interested in experienced options. Spagnuolo joins Chiefs coworker Matt Nagy, Mike Vrabel, Brian Flores, Vance Joseph, Arthur Smith, Ron Rivera and ex-Jets leader Rex Ryan as former HCs to receive interview requests out of New York. Current Saints interim HC Darren Rizzi received a Jets interview slip, too.

Multiple factors are working against Spagnuolo. The former Giants Super Bowl-winning defensive boss is now 65; only Bruce Arians (66) has been older and hired as a head coach. Spags’ win percentage between his St. Louis stay and four-game run as interim Giants HC in 2017 checks in as the third-worst in NFL history (.212) — ahead of only ex-commissioner Bert Bell and Hue Jackson.

This notification probably will come as welcome news to Spagnuolo, who has pushed to receive consideration at multiple points during his Kansas City stay. The Chiefs have regularly been able to rely on their defense during Spagnuolo’s six-season stay, creating a lethal combination of a sound defensive unit supplementing Mahomes and Andy Reid on offense. This formula has resulted in three Super Bowl wins and four appearances since Spagnuolo’s 2019 arrival. The Chiefs’ drop off the top tier on offense over the past two years has highlighted the importance of Spagnuolo’s defensive acumen.

Spagnuolo was the architect of the Giants’ titanic Super Bowl XLII upset of the unbeaten Patriots as well, leading to the Rams’ HC job. A 7-9 2010 season — Sam Bradford‘s rookie year — came between two woeful campaigns. The Rams finished 2-14 in 2009 and 1-15 in 2011. That tenure has crushed Spagnuolo’s second-chance HC hopes, allowing the Chiefs to enjoy continuity on defense. This is Spagnuolo’s first known HC interview request since he joined the Chiefs.

JANUARY 10: McKenzie is likely to receive considerable support for the GM role, Dianna Russini of The Athletic notes. He may be the favorite at this point in the process, although things could of course change over the coming days as interviews take place.

JANUARY 8: The Titans are casting their net far and wide in search of their next general manager, adding three more interviews to their list on Wednesday.

The latest candidates are Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds (per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero), Dolphins senior personnel executive Reggie McKenzie (per ESPN’s Turron Davenport), and Buccaneers assistant GM John Spytek (per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times).

[RELATED: Titans Begin GM Search With Three Requests]

Dodds has worked under Colts GM Chris Ballard since 2017. He began his NFL front office career as a scouting intern for the then-Oakland Raiders in 2003. That led to a scouting gig in Seattle, where Dodds finished as a senior personnel executive after nearly a decade. He then started as vice president of player personnel in Indianapolis before receiving a promotion to assistant GM in 2018. The Colts have hit on a number of first- and second-round picks in Dodds’ tenure, including Quenton Nelson and Shaquille Leonard in 2018 and Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor in 2020, but they have struggled to consistently find talent in the later rounds.

McKenzie is a former NFL linebacker who retired from playing in 1992. He briefly coached at the University of Tennessee before landing a scouting job with the Packers. McKenzie stayed in Green Bay for almost 20 years, eventually rising to director of football operations in 2008. The Packers won two Super Bowls in McKenzie’s tenure, which also included the 2005 draft selection of Aaron Rodgers.

McKenzie was then hired to turn around an expensive, underperforming Raiders roster as GM. He hit on Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, and Amari Cooper in back-to-back drafts but struggled to find and retain talent in subsequent years amid interference from new owner Mark Davis and his handpicked head coach, Jon Gruden. McKenzie was fired during the 2018 season and joined the Dolphins a few months later. Miami’s next three drafts all yielded several future starters, including Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle, though the team is still chasing their first AFC East title since 2008.

Spytek spent time with the Lions, Eagles, Browns, and Broncos – primarily as a scout – before arriving in Tampa Bay in 2016. The Buccaneers have been one of the most successful front offices in the last decade under GM Jason Licht, who has consistently hit on draft picks and free agent signings. Tampa Bay won Super Bowl LV after successfully engineering the acquisition of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski during the 2020 offseason and has won four straight division titles since. The Buccaneers’ drafts under Spytek have been littered with success, particularly at offensive line.

The Titans’ search is being overseen by president of football operations Chad Brinker, whose football experience stands in contrast to some of Tennessee’s other business-focused executives. He has ties to Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi, Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, and Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, all of whom could be candidates for the Titans’ GM job.

Brinker may also look for familiarity with head coach Brian Callahan, in which case a Bengals executive like Mike Potts, Trey Brown, or Steve Radicevic could be considered, according to Breer.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/25

January 9th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players through the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

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:

2025 NFL General Manager Search Tracker

January 8th, 2025 at 6:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans and Raiders are again part of a GM carousel in the 2020s. Tennessee canned its front office boss after two seasons, while Las Vegas moved on after one. These two join the Jets. Here is how the three AFC teams’ searches look thus far. If other teams make changes atop their front offices, they will be added to the list.

Updated 1-16-25 (11:40am CT)

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans