Luke Kuechly made a surprise announcement earlier this week when he said he was retiring from the NFL. However, his time in the NFL may not be over and the Buffalo Bills should try to add him to their coaching staff.
There is no question that Luke Kuechly was one of the best linebackers in the NFL over the past eight years. At only 28 years of age, it seemed the former Carolina Panthers star still had a number of years left in the league.
This is why the announcement of his retirement took so many by surprise.
However, Kuechly’s time in the league may not be over as he has thought about coaching or consulting in the future, according to Mike Garafolo.
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
If this is the case, the Buffalo Bills and Sean McDermott should try to find a way to add him to their coaching staff. McDermott was Kuechly’s defensive coordinator in Carolina for the first five years in the NFL. During that time, Kuechly won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was an All-Pro three of those seasons and a Pro Bowler for all five.
If there is anyone that knows McDermott’s defense as well as the Bills’ head coach, it may be Luke Kuechly.
The addition of Kuechly would also be great for Tremaine Edmunds, who will be entering his third season in the league. The chance to bring him to mentor and coach Edmunds would be invaluable for the young linebacker.
The two meet prior to the 2019 season when the Bills went down for joint practices with the Panthers. Kuechly came away from those practices impressed by what Edmunds was able to do on the field.
#Bills fans will love this -- I asked 6x Pro Bowler Luke Kuechly what he thought about second-year MLB Tremaine Edmunds @WKBW pic.twitter.com/JGo4uDHvy7
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) August 14, 2019
Unfortunately for the Bills, if Kuechly does decide to take up a coaching role, they will have some competition. Kuechly’s former head coach, Ron Rivera, is now in Washington and would likely also want to add the former All-Pro to his coaching staff.
The addition of Luke Kuechly to this coaching staff due to his connection to Sean McDermott and also to help Tremaine Edmunds as a mentor seems like a no-brainer for the Buffalo Bills.