The Kansas City Chiefs have been a mainstay at the top of the AFC during the Patrick Mahomes era. Nothing does more for job security in the NFL than winning big and doing so consistently. That is exactly what the Chiefs have accomplished for the better part of the last decade, and head coach Andy Reid and his coaching staff have benefited greatly.
One of Reid's top assistants, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub, has been with the franchise since 2013 and even signed an extension following the 2024 campaign, lengthening his tenure with the Chiefs. Fast forward to today, and Toub is feeling a bit more pressure than he had over the past decade as his unit has dealt with plenty of issues thus far, which is one of the reasons why the Chiefs are 5-4 as their bye week wraps up.
While it would still be somewhat of a shock to see Toub given a pink slip at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, given his tenure with the team and obvious connection with Reid, one of his peers within the division was given his walking papers on Sunday morning. After the Las Vegas Raiders fell short in what was a very winnable game against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football, they announced Sunday that special teams coordinator Tom McMahon had been relieved of his duties.
With that in mind, the Chiefs' special teams leader should be feeling the heat.
Raiders Firing Tom McMahon Should Make Dave Toub Uncomfortable
Although Toub's tenure and history of success with the Chiefs give him some security, in theory, the Raiders just proved exactly why that shouldn't be a no-brainer of a decision to make. If Las Vegas, sitting at 2-7 and dead last in the AFC West, can recognize that one of the three branches of their roster is not living up to expectations, then a new voice needs to be put in place for Kansas City.
Additionally, the Chiefs might have an easier time axing Toub now that they won't be the first team to fire a special teams coordinator.
If the Raiders can understand that this is the only way to improve, the Chiefs should as well. Continuing to look the other way or make excuses for issues on special teams will only last for so long before they begin costing you games. Kansas City is not in a position to leave any more wins on the table from here on out, especially with their stretch of games against the Broncos and Indianapolis Colts coming out of the bye week.
If there is, ultimately, going to be a "fall guy" on the coaching staff that is impacted from the Chiefs' struggles this season, Toub would be a likelier candidate than defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo or offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Also, special teams coordinators are typically cheaper hires than offensive or defensive coordinators.
For all of these reasons, Toub better hope that the special teams unit looks like a much more effective group coming out of the bye, or else he might not be back with the Chiefs next season.