“I haven’t gotten hold of Norv yet, but obviously, he’s a candidate,” Edwards said. “But, he’ll be a candidate for a lot of teams. He’s a fine coach.”

Though he would not identify any of the Dick Vermeil assistants he would like to retain on his own staff in Kansas City, Edwards admitted that some of them were being courted by other teams. No current assistant on Vermeil’s staff is under contract for the 2006 season.

“They’re about to become free agents, and a lot of things happen when coaches go out on the market,” Edwards said. “Money can become a factor, and it often becomes a bidding war when you’re a good coach. And they’ve got good coaches on this staff.”

Kansas City’s offensive coordinator position could hinge on what current coordinator Al Saunders does. Saunders remains an active candidate for vacant head coaching positions at Houston, Detroit and Oakland after being formally interviewed by both the Chiefs and Vikings before they hired Edwards and Brad Childress.

If Saunders is not hired as a head coach, it would be interesting to see if Edwards seeks his return. If that happens, would Saunders return to a team that now has bypassed him twice as a head coaching candidate?

The only coach known to be retained on Edwards’ staff is defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham.