With the success of the Kansas City Chiefs, other NFL General Managers might finally consider raiding members of Andy Reid’s staff. One of those names might be offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who is rumored to be in the coaching cycle at the end of the year.
When Matt Nagy was the head coach of the Chicago Bears, he did the impossible. He guided the Bears to a post-season berth with a lousy quarterback and a great defense. Yet, that wasn’t enough, and he found himself back in Kansas City as the quarterbacks coach.
His work with Patrick Mahomes helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII, and a year later, he was the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl LVIII win. Nagy has come full circle, from assistant coach in Kansas City to Head Coach in Chicago and back to KC as their offensive coordinator.
With the team’s success, it’s unlikely that Nagy or even Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will be overlooked this hiring cycle. By my count, as many as 11 NFL head coaching vacancies in both conferences could be available.
Other NFL teams have mostly overlooked the Chiefs’ coaching staff, mainly because Andy Reid is a strong head coach. Eric Bieniemy interviewed over twenty times for an NFL head coaching position, but he was never offered the job each time.
Nagy, who has indicated a desire to be a head coach again, might also be on the concise list to succeed Reid when his contract expires in 2029. That’s a long time from now, so anything is possible.
To his credit, playing second fiddle to Reid can’t be easy because no matter what people see, Reid calls the plays, and Nagy makes suggestions and puts together a game plan, but Reid has 51% of the offensive decisions within the game.
Reid always credits Nagy for his in-game decisions and preparation each week, so there is mutual respect and admiration for one another. In recent years, Reid has given more control to his assistant coaches, but as the mad scientist of the offense, Reid has no peer in the NFL.
As the Chiefs get closer to the playoffs and other NFL teams begin dismantling their bad decisions on head coaches, they’d be wise to give Nagy another chance.
He’s been overlooked for the job he’s done with Mahomes over the last two years. Since the loss of Tyreek Hill, the offense has changed dramatically. Nagy has worked with his generational quarterback to adjust to the roster’s revolving offensive door.
Two years ago, Mahomes defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game with his fourth, fifth, and sixth receivers on the field. Last season, the Chiefs went on the road with a receiving core gifted at dropping passes but not making clutch plays.
Yet Nagy kept Mahomes steady as he guided the Chiefs to three post-game road wins: at Buffalo, Baltimore, and Las Vegas where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win back-to-back Super Bowls.
Other NFL teams should not ignore that.
Yes, it all starts with a gifted quarterback, but Nagy has helped Mahomes with playing quarterback. Footwork, standing in the pocket, reading the options any given play can unfold, and being his sounding board when things don’t work on any given play, series, or within a game.
For now, Nagy is content with the job ahead in Kansas City, but that doesn’t mean he’s not considering a career elevation. He might not get it, even if he interviews with several teams, but at least he’s gaining enough respect to be the man who makes all the decisions for his football team again.
