Should I stay or should I go?

The popular early-80s anthem by The Clash may as well be John Chavis’ theme music this week as he reportedly decides between competing job offers from LSU and Texas A&M.

Chavis has served as LSU’s defensive coordinator for the last six seasons, while Texas A&M fired DC Mark Snyder following the Aggies regular season finale and has yet to lock down his replacement.

Chavis’ current deal with LSU (set to expire in December 2015) pays him $1.3 million annually, making him the third-highest paid assistant coach in the FBS. According to a report by NOLA.com, LSU has offered Chavis a three-year, $4 million contract extension that will maintain his $1.3 million annual salary through the 2018 season.

But according to another report from The Advocate in Baton Rouge, Chavis has also been offered the vacant defensive coordinator position at Texas A&M. A report from The Advertiser, citing a source, said Chavis would like to be paid as much or more than recently hired Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who will make $1.7 million annually on the plains.

For context’s sake, Snyder made $708,000 last season at A&M, which has a pool of $3.48 million to pay all of its assistant coaches.

This all begs the question: Should Chavis stay or should he go?

It’s tough to tell which way Chavis is leaning as we don’t know how much money Texas A&M is offering him.

What we do know is that A&M has reportedly thrown its hat in the ring and made Chavis an offer. In terms of the quality of the jobs in play, there’s a case to be made for Chavis making the move to Texas A&M.

For starters, Texas A&M is an emerging threat in the loaded SEC West after just three years in the conference, and Kevin Sumlin has already built A&M into the power program of the Lone Star State.

The last time Chavis changed jobs, the decision was made for him. Phillip Fulmer’s time at Tennessee had come to an end, and with it came the end of Chavis’ 14-season reign over the defense.

He chose to go to LSU over the other schools expressing interest because LSU was the emerging power of the SEC at the time. The Tigers had won two national titles in a six-year window leading up to Chavis’ exit from Knoxville, and he wanted to hitch himself to that program as it rose to prominence in the SEC.

Texas A&M hasn’t won a championship of any sort in decades, but it is absolutely following a path to the top of the SEC, and Chavis could be the missing piece to push the program over the top.

He’ll be at the heart of a recruiting hotbed, and will be playing opposite an Aggies offense that blows LSU’s out of the water. The Tigers are lost at the quarterback position, while the Aggies are overflowing with five-star quarterbacks and dynamic wideouts.

Instead of compensating for a lackluster offense in Baton Rouge, Chavis could really get creative in College Station with a productive offense keeping A&M afloat.

Texas A&M is also loaded with young talent on the defensive side of the ball. Freshman defensive end Myles Garrett is the new SEC rookie record-holder for sacks in a season. Freshman safety Armani Watts possesses as much raw ability as any safety in the conference. Freshman linebacker Otaro Alaka is one of the most instinctual young linebackers in the conference, and his late-season emergence could carry over into a tremendous 2015 season.

The Aggies defense was simply pathetic in 2014, but it has the pieces to be much better in 2015. All it needs is some coaching, and Chavis can provide that.

Now, let’s get back to those mystery numbers. If A&M offers Chavis the same $700,000 it paid Snyder last year, it won’t take long for Chavis to turn the offer down. A&M may be appealing, but he’s not looking for an excuse to leave Baton Rouge, especially for a 50 percent pay cut.

If the Aggies offer him $1.3 million annually, however, it might spark his interest. LSU is offering Chavis another extension for the same annual salary, and while that salary is among the best in all of college football it’s not exactly a reflection of his accomplishments in leading the SEC’s No. 2 scoring defense in 2014.

Receiving that $1.3 million annually from A&M would be different. That number would now be Chavis’ baseline and not his ceiling as LSU has indicated with its recent offer.

The Aggies new facilities, expanded stadium and recent SEC affiliation should create increased revenue in the coming years. That revenue could allow Chavis to earn raises throughout his time in College Station if his defenses perform as well at A&M as they did at Tennessee and LSU.

Chavis appears in no rush to make a decision, but he should have a good understanding of what his choices are as of Tuesday morning.

He could stay with the same traditional power for the same annual salary and compete for national titles as soon as next year.

Or he could join a fast-rising Texas A&M program at the ground floor, helping elevate it to LSU’s level of success while potentially earning more money in a more fertile recruiting base.

Ultimately, popular opinion is that Chavis will stay put, and his loyalty to Fulmer and UT in the late-90s and 2000s backs up that claim. But Texas A&M is more appealing than many think.

There’s a reason he hasn’t dismissed the Aggies just yet.