Kirk Ferentz and 5 Coaches Who Could Replace Todd Haley as Chiefs' Head Coach

On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs pulled the plug on Todd Haley's near three-year run as head coach. One of the names that immediately arose as a possible candidate to replace Haley was University of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.

NFL.com's Albert Breer was one of the first to mention Ferentz's name after the announcement that Haley was fired. Here is Breer's tweet from earlier today: "Here's another name to make sure you keep in mind with Chiefs -- Kirk Ferentz. He and Pioli are very close, Pioli tried to get him in 2009."

Sports Illustrated's Peter King also mentioned Ferentz.

In Breer's tweet, he is obviously focusing on the relationship between Ferentz and Chiefs GM Scott Pioli.

After Pioli was hired from the New England Patriots by the Chiefs in 2009, one of his first tasks was to find a head coach to replace Herm Edwards. Ferentz was a hot name throughout the search, but Pioli decided on Haley and Ferentz signed an extension to stay at Iowa through 2015.

Part of the reason that Ferentz wanted to stay at Iowa was because his son, James Ferentz, was just beginning his freshman year at Iowa. James will be a senior next season, so it's possible that Ferentz would revisit the possibility of leaving Iowa for Kansas City with his son being nearly done with school.

If bringing in Ferentz isn't the road the Chiefs go down, the following coaches might also get a look:

Josh McDaniels  

The name probably makes Chiefs fans cringe, but it's more than likely that McDaniels will get a look from Pioli. McDaniels was the Patriots offensive coordinator while Pioli was still in New England, and he coached Matt Cassel during his 11-5 season in 2008.

McDaniels is currently the St. Louis Rams' offensive coordinator.

Romeo Crennel 

Crennel will be the interim coach, so he has a chance to make an impression with management over the final three games. Crennel doesn't get a huge sample, like Leslie Frazier got in Minnesota last season, but a couple of good showings, especially against Green Bay this week, could put him in the running. 

Jon Gruden 

Not sure if he'd want to leave his cozy announcing job, but Gruden will surely be tied to a few head coaching vacancies this offseason.

His reputation working with quarterbacks is likely appealing for the NFL's 30th-ranked passing offense, too.  

Eric Mangini 

Mangini is another coach who Pioli has experience with, as Mangini coached in New England as the Patriots defensive backs coach from 2000-04 and as the defensive coordinator in 2005.

A three-time Super Bowl winner, Mangini also has two head coaching stints in New York and Cleveland. 

Perry Fewell/Winston Moss/Russ Grimm  

Several of the league's top assistant coaches will likely be looked at, too. Fewell is the Giants defensive coordinator and has head coaching experience from taking over as interim coach in Buffalo.

Winston Moss is the Packers assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach. The Packers' success will certainly make him a hot candidate.

Grimm was a Hall of Fame offensive lineman before serving as an offensive line coach with the Redskins, Steelers and Cardinals. Grimm is also the Cardinals assistant head coach.