Football Special Teams Coordinator

What is a Special Teams Coordinator?

The special teams coordinator in football is the coach in charge of the special teams unit. The responsibilities of special teams coordinators include leading the special teams during practices, designing plays and strategy, and calling kicking and returning plays during football games. Special teams coordinators report to the head coach.

Special Teams Coordinator Roles and Responsibilities

The special teams coordinator is responsible for all players on the special teams unit. They also work closely with younger players that are not active on the roster to train them accordingly to move up and be prepared to play. Many of the players on the special teams unit aren’t equipped or talented enough to be starters and are backup players on the offense.

Working with Kickers

The special teams coordinator works on and off the field with punters and kickers to give them proper training and a solid skill set. They work with the offensive and defensive coordinators to call different plays during games. Kickers have to be very focused and calm under pressure because they are usually performing in very high stress situations.

Play Calling

The special teams coordinator is responsible for calling plays related to special teams units, including punts, field goals, onside kicks, and kickoffs. These plays are often underestimated, but are extremely important, as they can result in scoring points, such as field goals, and can also turn the tide of a game, in the case of kickoffs and punts. Special teams coordinators must be aware of a variety of complex rules as part of their job, and must also know the ins-and-outs of various types of plays. As a result, many football analysts and former coaches believe that special teams coordinators make excellent candidates for head coaching positions, due to their versatility.

Roster Management

In addition to their role in play-calling, the special teams coordinator also manages the special teams roster for their team. This includes players such as punters, kickers, long-snappers, holders, and kick returners. These players all require unique forms of coaching, which means that the special teams coordinator must be someone who knows the skills and techniques of various plays and players. This makes a special teams coordinator extremely knowledgeable about various plays.

Special Teams Coordinator Salary

Special teams coordinators make a similar salary to other coordinators. The average salary of an NFL special teams coordinator is less than $1 million. Most special teams coordinators are estimated to earn in the high six-figure range. There are many variables that influence whether a coordinator is paid less or more than this amount. Some teams with lower budgets pay coordinators less.

Notable NFL Special Teams Coordinators

• Brad Seely
• Darren Rizzi
• Dave Toub
• Joe Judge
• Larry Pasquale
• Pete Rodriguez
• Scott O’Brien

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