Here’s Something Special Santa Left Chiefs on Christmas Morning

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Steve Spagnuolo hasn’t had a Christmas like this since 2017, when he was interim head coach of the New York Giants.

It’s an extremely foreign concept in Kansas City, though, a gift Chiefs coaches haven’t unwrapped in 11 years.

The gift of time.

Time to step back and evaluate their season with an honest microscope.

Watch Spagnuolo discuss below...

“We'll go immediately to the evaluation process,” Spagnuolo said Tuesday, “the self-scout we talk about, and we do it. We did it the bye week, and we do it continuously every week. But you get a chance to take a deep breath.”

Not just a seat on the couch to watch the playoffs

Time to watch the playoff qualifiers with a telephoto lens, mining their gameplans for concepts and strategies that would fit nicely into the Chiefs’ playbook. And time to network with other coaches, including those at the college level.

“The other thing we get a chance to do,” Spagnuolo added, “we don't want to have this much time, but when you do have the extra time, we can research other teams, what they've done defensively, try to pick the brains of some people we know around the league. So, there is a benefit to that.”

steve spagnuol — Aug 17, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo watches play on the sidelines against the Detroit Lions during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Spagnuolo said he’s focused on beating the Broncos and Raiders to close the season, but once Jan. 5 arrives, he looks forward to his first opportunity since Andy Reid hired him in 2019 to unwrap that gift.

“I mean, this is first time since I've been here when we know when the last game is. So, when that time comes, we'll start focusing on that stuff.”

jeremiyah lov — Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown in the first half of a NCAA football game against Syracuse at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stuff -- everything that comprises building an NFL roster from January through the end of April -- is something that requires a lot of time. And for a team that’s been to Super Bowls in three consecutive seasons, coaches haven’t had much of it.

And because general manager Brett Veach trusts the opinions of Reid and his coaches, that stuff includes unrestricted free agents as well as draft prospects.

“Look, when you go as far as we have,” Spagnuolo said, referring to the Chiefs’ deep playoff runs, “that's a month and a week of looking at pro personnel across the league, looking at draft.

“I can remember going to a number of these combines recently, where I knew very little about the guys that we were sitting with and talked to. And then, what you gain here is when you when you go out there and you talk to these players, now you have a little bit of an idea who they are and what they've done. Because you've probably seen a little bit of film on them.”

andy rei — Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid looks on during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Time is their most valuable asset

Reid echoed Spagnuolo’s sentiments, noting that every offseason requires balancing self-evaluation with providing Veach and his staff important intelligence in roster-building.

“You've got to stay ahead of the game as a coach,” Reid said earlier this month. “That's the challenge. Sometimes when you're good for the period of time that we've been doing well, you're not picking very high in the draft. And you make things you work.

“Nobody's done it better than Brett has, and being able to keep everything afloat and then still not spending time on working in the free-agency market, as much as a lot of people do. So, he's done a great job of juggling all of that.”

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