:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71888732/1452499173.0.jpg "NFL coaching rumors: Who is Rich Bisaccia? Will he be an NFL head coach in 2023?")
Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is potentially back on the market as a head coaching candidate one year removed from having admirably led the Las Vegas Raiders in an interim capacity. His Green Bay special teams unit went from dead last in DVOA in 2021 to 17th in 2022.
Who is Rich Bisaccia?
Bisaccia is a true football lifer, a coach who has made stops at four different college programs and five different NFL franchises, beginning all the way back in 1983. He has been almost exclusively an NFL special teams coordinator since 2002. He got a chance to lead the Raiders as interim head coach in 2021, which saw the team go 7-5 and make the playoffs where they were bounced by the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. He was then passed over for Josh McDaniels for the full-time job last offseason.
After being snubbed, he left for the Packers' special teams coordinator position and promptly oversaw drastic improvement on that unit. Green Bay's special teams unit was the worst in football a season ago and under Bisaccia moved back to the middle of the pack. While Bisaccia clearly has the leadership skills to lead an NFL team, his age could be a factor: at 62, he would be the second-oldest first-time coach in the last 20 years.
Why would he make a good head coach?
Bisaccia will have no trouble capturing the attention of the locker room and getting instant buy in, much in the same way Dan Campbell was able to do so in Detroit this season. Before he left the Raiders, Bisaccia handwrote letters to every single player on the team. While his age could be seen as a detriment to some, it certainly will command the respect of a locker room, none of whom would have been born when Bisaccia's football coaching journey began.
Of course, Bisaccia's X's and O's on special teams are also a plus. Most of the franchises with current openings ranked in the bottom half of the league on special teams a year ago. While his special teams prowess won't ultimately be what lands him a head job, it will be an added plus.
Which teams are interviewing him?
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts could use some stability as they look toward the future. It is unclear what the future holds, except that it likely includes a rookie quarterback taken in the first five picks of this year's draft. Bisaccia could be the perfect steady hand to lead the ship into uncertain waters.