While the football world has speculated on the Chiefs’ head-coaching search the past few weeks, now the team actually can commence it.

One NFL source said a name near or at the top of the Chiefs’ list is former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who has been adamant that he will not coach this season. Still, the source said the Chiefs are interested in Cowher, though it’s uncertain whether they would be able to entice him to come out of retirement.

Also on the list is Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who used to work on the staff of Bill Parcells, the father-in-law of new Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli. If the Chiefs want to hire Haley, they must wait until after the Super Bowl to make the move.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni also is believed to be on the Chiefs’ list. Pasqualoni had a down season in Miami, but he’s highly respected around the league and used to work with Pioli for two seasons at Syracuse.

Some around the league believe that Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt has a strong feeling for Kansas City offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, though Pioli would have to sign off on the hire, and some doubt that he would.

However it works, the coaching carousel keeps spinning.

And we now have 11 teams that have changed head coaches, more than any other season in NFL history. The changes included two Super Bowl-winning coaches who were fired, two Super-Bowl winning coaches who retired and seven other moves.

The Chiefs and former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan have had no negotiations.