The fact that the Chiefs already have fired coach Romeo Crennel but not G.M. Scott Pioli doesn’t mean that Pioli is safe.
Per a league source, Pioli has yet to hear from owner Clark Hunt regarding Pioli’s future.
It could be that Hunt decided to fire Crennel first and not Pioli in order to gauge the local reaction to the possibility of Pioli returning. Either way, Hunt has not told Pioli whether Pioli will return for a fifth season on the job.
The Chiefs won the AFC West in 2010, Pioli’s second season on the job. But 2011 was marred by dysfunction, with Pioli and the first coach he hired, Todd Haley, squabbling until Haley was fired. This year, the Chiefs finished a dismal 2-14 in Romeo Crennel’s first full season as head coach.
The fact that the Chiefs have five Pro Bowlers helps Pioli’s case. The 0-for-2 effort when it comes to hiring coaches doesn’t.
Peter King reported during Football Night in America that, if Pioli stays, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz will not be the next head coach. Though several reporters were speculating that Ferentz finally would be lured back to the NFL to work with his good friend Pioli, Ferentz’s recent track record makes him a hard sell at the next level.