Redskins should pursue Luke Kuechly for a coaching position
Luke Kuechly retired from the NFL this offseason but may want to pursue a coaching job. If so, the Washington Redskins should be interested in him.
Luke Kuechly shocked the NFL world when he retired from the NFL earlier this week at the age of 28. The former Carolina Panthers linebacker was arguably the best at this position in the league and was still in his prime at the time of the announcement. But after eight years, he was ready to call it quits.
That said, Kuechly’s time in the NFL may not be done. While he is looking done as a player, he may want to get involved in coaching.
On NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, Mike Garafolo reported that Kuechly has a preliminary interest in a coaching or consultant role in the NFL.
From @gmfb: Retired #Panthers LB Luke Kuechly has preliminarily mulled a coaching or consultant role to stay involved in the NFL in some capacity. pic.twitter.com/zgr2JcAQBY
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 18, 2020
It’s easy to imagine Kuechly becoming a coach. He was one of the smartest defensive players during his playing days and mastered the Carolina defense. Having him on the field was basically like having a coach out there. Kuechly will be able to bring his intelligence and instincts to a coaching role and could help develop linebackers and certainly has the upside needed to progress in the coaching ranks.
If Kuechly does, in fact, want to coach, the Washington Redskins should have an interest in him. Kuechly played all eight of his NFL seasons under current Redskins coach Ron Rivera, so he would already have familiarity with the team’s staff. And by all accounts, Kuechly and Rivera had a good relationship so they would likely work well together.
Kuechly could serve as an assistant linebackers coach for the Redskins and learn the fundamentals of coaching. In turn, he could help the Redskins and Steve Russ develop their linebackers, which will become more important with the team switching to a 4-3 defense this offseason.
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There’s no downside in finding a spot for Kuechly on the coaching staff if he does want to coach. He would provide the team with some good, young leadership and could emerge as a solid coach in the future. The Redskins should certainly explore adding him to their staff or at least giving him a trial period this offseason as he decides what to do next.