The Kansas City Chiefs face a big offseason with quarterback Patrick Mahomes sidelined due to an ACL tear and head coach Andy Reid trying to right the ship.
Former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith joining the team’s coaching staff, if offensive coordinator Matt Nagy leaves, could have been a help, but Smith shut down the rumors recently on the “Up & Adams” show. Smith, now an ESPN analyst, played for the Chiefs from 2013 to 2017, which included the beginning of Reid’s tenure with the team and Mahomes’ rookie season in 2017.
“No way,” Smith told Adams on Tuesday. “No. It’s so hard, my kids. I got 14, 12, 9. You take that job, it’s like ‘see you in five years.’ You know, it’s hard… I love Matt, that’s my guy, I love Matt, but no.”
Nagy could be one of several assistant coaches leaving the Chiefs. Kansas City already lost wide receivers coach Connor Embree, defensive line coach Alex Whittingham, and defensive quality control coach Louie Addazio.
If Nagy leaves, Smith could see the Chiefs bringing back Mike Kafka as the offensive coordinator. Smith worked with Kafka between 2017 and 2021 in Kansas City.
“Oh, I wouldn’t be shocked if they bring (Mike) Kafka back… Andy just rarely brings somebody outside of his circle,” Smith said. I don’t think it’s a bad thing if he did bring somebody from outside, but like, I think in some ways Kafka fits that so perfectly. He just spent four or five years with (Brian) Daboll in that system, but obviously he knows that Chiefs system so well, I think he can bring in some outside ideas.”
Alex Smith Weighs In on Chiefs’ Offense
Smith doesn’t expect big changes for the Chiefs offense despite the downturn in 2025. Kansas City only averaged 21.3 points per game in a 6-11 season.
“The hard part is,” Smith told Adams. “I know some people are frustrated with the offense, certainly. But, listen: Andy’s doing the offense. We all know this. And Andy knows it, right? So, it’s like a little bit of it, when you’re the offensive coordinator there, you only have so much input.”
Smith knows that all too well from his time under Reid. In five seasons with the Chiefs, Smith completed 65.1% of his passes for 17,608 yards and 33 touchdowns in 76 games.
Smith, whose career began with the San Francisco 49ers as the No. 1pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, finished out his career with two seasons in Washington between 2018 and 2020.
Alex Smith Gets Brutally Honest About Broncos
Smith saw Denver as a longtime rival, and seeing the Broncos win the AFC East and claim the No. 1 seed for the playoffs has only been hard to watch.
“Listen, when you play for the Chiefs for five years,” Smith told Adams. “These are rivalries, these old AFC rivalries are so real and amazing. And to this day, I lay down at night, and I can still hear that crowd yelling, ‘in-com-plete,’ over and over and over and over again, when you go play there on the road. I don’t have a lot of love for the Broncos.”
Ex-Chiefs QB Says Why He Won’t Work With Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes