The Kansas City Chiefs chose to move on from offensive coordinator Matt Nagy amid news of head coaching interviews, electing to reunite with Eric Bieniemy rather than wait out the NFL hiring cycle.
Unfortunately for Nagy, his head coaching interest fell short of landing him one of the 32 top jobs. However, on February 3, Nagy did claim a new offensive coordinator role.
“The [New York] Giants are hiring former Chiefs OC Matt Nagy as their new offensive coordinator, per The Insiders,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported on X. Adding: “An experienced play-caller who has worked with the game’s best, Nagy fills a key role on John Harbaugh’s staff.”
Not long after, insiders connected the dots from Harbaugh to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
“John Harbaugh worked under Andy Reid in Philadelphia, and Harbaugh mentioned in his opening press conference that he sought advice from Reid, who told him, ‘Change can be good,’ after his firing in Baltimore,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter weighed in. “Now, Harbaugh turns back to the Andy Reid coaching tree by hiring Matt Nagy as his offensive coordinator in New York.”
As Schefter laid out, this landing spot makes a lot of sense for Nagy. Not only does he have ties to Harbaugh through Reid, but the Giants also have a promising quarterback prospect on the roster in 2025 first-round pick Jaxson Dart.
“After working with Patrick Mahomes for the last several years, Matt Nagy will now work with Jaxson Dart,” Rapoport reminded, which is not a bad transition for an NFL offensive coordinator.
Kansas City did not face Dart in 2025, despite playing the Giants. It was the final game that veteran QB Russell Wilson started. Dart took over just after that, and he did not look back.
Chiefs Ditch Matt Nagy, Then Help Him Find New Job With Giants
From an outside view, it certainly looks like the Chiefs used Nagy’s head coaching interviews to — very politely and delicately — rid themselves of him.
Under Nagy’s direction over the past three seasons, the KC offense has regressed from 9th in yards and 15th in points in 2023 to 20th in yards and 21st in points in 2025. And there was a gradual decrease from 2023 through 2025 in most areas.
Meanwhile, with Bieniemy as OC in 2022, the Chiefs ranked 1st in yards and 1st in points.
Yes, Reid has a large say in what happens on offense, and there were a few factors like player personnel and injuries/suspensions, that had an impact. Still, when the constants are Reid, Mahomes, and general manager Brett Veach, among others, and the major difference is the offensive coordinator calling the shots, it’s hard not to draw the conclusion that Nagy might have been part of the problem.
The Chiefs likely came to that conclusion as well, and they promptly replaced Nagy when the opportunity arose, seemingly pawning him off on Harbaugh and the Giants after the fact.
2026 Should Settle Chiefs Debate After OC News
The Bieniemy versus Nagy debate is nothing new. Chiefs fans and NFL commentators have gone back and forth on the Kansas City offensive coordinator discussion for years, and the narrative even shifted in Nagy’s favor briefly after Bieniemy struggled in Washington.
Having said that, the KC numbers still support Bieniemy being the better OC for this team, and 2026 should settle this debate once and for all.
If the Chiefs’ offense improves under Bieniemy, even if Nagy has some success in New York, the change will be considered a smart move by Reid and company.
If Kansas City continues to sputter and Nagy lights the league on fire with the Giants, they’ll surely face some criticism for letting him go. Either way, the Chiefs made their decision, and they have to stand by it now.
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