Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli wants to name a new head coach soon and while Romeo Crennel did well in his three games as the interim head coach, the Chiefs are exploring several options including Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Chiefs had several interviews already and decided to bring in Philbin Wednesday night. The 50 year old Philbin has been the Packers offensive coordinator for the last five years and Green Bay has been in the top 10 in scoring and yards gained in each of those five years.
The Chiefs fired coach Todd Haley after the team started 5-8. Romeo Crennel, the defensive coordinator, went 2-1 with one of those wins coming against then-undefeated Green Bay in Week 15.
Time could run out on Philbin. If the Packers make a run to the Super Bowl as they are expected, the Chiefs may not be patient in waiting, while they avoid NFL tampering rules. Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star wrote, “The Chiefs waited until after the Super Bowl in 2009 to hire Todd Haley, the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, who had just lost to Pittsburgh in the title game. By that time, Haley found that many of the assistant coaches he wanted already had claimed jobs elsewhere. So he had to cobble together a staff comprised mainly of out-of-work coaches. It’s unlikely the Chiefs would want to go through that scramble again.”