Have you seen The Undertaker’s entrance coming out of the casket? Well, we won’t say it’s exactly like that, but yes, the impact on the audience is the same. Chuck Pagano is getting back into the NFL after staying away for half a decade. Now, the million-dollar question is: which team tempted him enough to come out of retirement? You’d be surprised to know that he’s reconnecting with his coaching roots, which began way back with the Baltimore Ravens. HC John Harbaugh knows that he’s got a supreme O-line. But he needs a guy he can trust to improve his defense. And when there are no answers left, only old pals come to the rescue.

Now, do you remember Pat McAfee from the Colts? Yeah, he was under the guidance of Chuck Pagano when the latter was the HC of Indianapolis. Well, Pat is a famous sports analyst now, and recently on The Pat McAfee Show, he remarked “You guys took Chuck Pagano from us, he’s the man.” He was talking to Ravens’ LB Kyle Van Noy, who said, “He’s got that old-school juice, you know, that you need to have in a building, and I think that’s something that the Ravens are missing.”

Kyle Van Noy didn’t hesitate to give a shoutout to John Harbaugh’s decision to bring Chuck into the building. He said, “They brought Dean Pees in as a consultant, and now you brought in Chuck Pagano. I mean, the sky’s the limit for that group.” Kyle is absolutely right. He knows that Chuck isn’t coming back because of his contacts within the team, but for the impact he can make on the players.

After spending four years with the Ravens back in ‘08, Chuck played a huge role in shaping one of the NFL’s most dangerous defenses. And now his return is at a crucial time, as Baltimore’s pass defense ranks 31st in the NFL right now. In a recent interview, John Harbaugh said, “Chuck brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and coaching talent to our team. He has deep ties to the program and is excited to get to work.”

What exactly did John Harbaugh do to make this happen?

Imagine sitting around with your family after retirement. Having a cuppa in peace, and then you pick up the phone to have a little chat with your buddy. Pagano reached out to John Harbaugh on behalf of another coach seeking a job. “I texted him last week, and I was texting for a friend.” Pagano explained. And what John said after that changed the whole tone of the conversation. “You good? You itching a little bit?” That was enough to spark the fire inside Chuck and lead his road back to the Ravens’ building.

Even though Harbaugh opened the door for Chuck to make a comeback, the love for football was always there. John just gave it a little push. Pat McAfee recently caught up with Chuck on his show, and when asked about the role, Pagano said, “The role is absolutely perfect. You know, I’m really not dying to be a head coach again and have all that responsibility, a coordinator, all the pressure that comes with that. Just an opportunity in this role to go help, you know, John and this organization and that defensive staff.” When Pat asked Chuck when he started thinking about getting back into coaching, Chuck replied with a smile, “Probably the day I retired.”