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Head coach Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears
The Tennessee Titans have requested permission to interview former Bears head coach Matt Nagy for their open offensive coordinator position. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler the Titans plan to interview Nagy and fellow Chiefs‘ staffer Eric Bieniemy for the job. Nagy is currently the Chiefs’ senior assistant and quarterbacks coach. Nagy was fired by the Bears last January after four seasons with the team posting a 34-31 record over his tenure. Since leaving the Windy City last off-season Nagy has become an integral part of the Chief’s coaching staff, assisting a unit that’s currently leading the league in points scored per game, yards per game, and passing yards per game. Nagy previously spent five seasons in Kansas City as a quarterbacks coach (’13-’15) and offensive coordinator (’16-’17).
The Titans are looking to fill a vacancy left after the team fired offensive coordinator Todd Downing earlier this month. His dismissal comes amid a front office reckoning in which 3 additional coaches were also terminated. The Titans had previously fired GM Jon Robinson the month prior. Tennessee ended their season with seven straight losses, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Titans’ offense finished 28th in the NFL this season in scoring, 23rd in third down efficiency and sixth in red zone efficiency.
Nagy Has the Secret Sauce in KC
“I’m going to give you the inside scoop. Matt Nagy, who was the offensive coordinator then, he really liked me so he gave me the plays they were going to go over the night before, so of course, I crushed the meeting. I stayed up all night studying those plays.”
Mahomes would go on to ace his interview and as a token of appreciation, he returned the favor handing over some inside information of his own to the Chiefs front office.
“As the process went on, I sort of got the feeling that I was going up in the draft. I had a couple of teams that said they were going to draft me, I kind of gave a little inside information to the Chiefs. I was like hey if y’all let me go anywhere [12th overall] or below I’m going to get drafted by someone else.”
Friendly Competition
In addition to Nagy, Tennessee has also requested permission to interview current Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric
Bieniemy. When the Bears hired away Nagy in 2018 it was Bieniemy who stepped in. The former NFL running back has been vocal about his desire for a head coaching position and recently interviewed with the Colts for their vacancy.
Before taking on new roles, both Nagy and Bieniemy will remain focused on the Chiefs playoff run. The Chiefs will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round Jan. 21.
Jason Yanos covered the NFL for Heavy.com in 2023, with a focus on the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears. He was previously the editor for WSHU Public Radio. More about Jason Yanos
