The Kansas City Chiefs have become the team to beat around the NFL year after year, and that means other organizations will try and emulate their operation.
The best way to do that is often to poach members of a franchise’s coaching staff, and one KC coach is generating some interest around the league according to The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini.
“Expect the [New Orleans] Saints to show interest in former [Chicago] Bears head coach and current Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy,” Russini wrote on January 4.
She added that she “also expect[s] [Saints] interim head coach Darren Rizzi to get a shot at the job full time but, if he doesn’t get it, I could see him still being part of the coaching staff in New Orleans, in some form.”
Could Chiefs OC Matt Nagy Land Second HC Job in 2025?
As Russini mentioned, if Nagy left for a head coaching position, it wouldn’t be the first time. After starting out as a coaching intern with head coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia, Nagy joined him in Kansas City in 2013.
At that time, he became the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach — a title he held for four seasons.
From there, Nagy was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2017. He held that role for one year before landing the Bears’ HC job.
In Chicago, Nagy was an immediate success story in 2018, winning the AP Coach of the Year award after he led the Bears to an NFC North title at 12-4. Unfortunately, Nagy and Chicago suffered a first-round elimination that postseason and failed to make the playoffs the following year (8-8).
The Bears did manage to clinch a wildcard berth under Nagy in 2020 at 8-8 but were eliminated in the wildcard round for the second time under his tenure. After a 6-11 finish in 2021 — his first sub-.500 campaign as HC — Chicago elected to move on.
Nagy has repositioned himself in head coaching discussions after returning to KC for three very successful seasons.
He started out with his former job title as quarterbacks coach, then reclaimed the offensive coordinator role after Eric Bieniemy decided to accept the OC position in Washington. Bieniemy is currently available on the open market after mutually parting ways with UCLA — where he spent the 2024 campaign.
ESPN Insiders Agree Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo Could Earn Interview Requests Too
On January 2, ESPN NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano agreed that Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could earn head coaching interview requests in 2025 too, along with Nagy.
“Someone asked me why Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo doesn’t get more buzz, and it’s a good question,” Graziano wrote. “Spagnuolo wasn’t successful in his first head coaching stint with the Rams from 2009 to 2011, and his defenses in New Orleans and New York struggled in the following seasons. But he has engineered maybe the top postseason defense in the league the past few seasons in Kansas City, contributing significantly to three Super Bowl titles amid roster turnover and, for the past two seasons, offensive inconsistency.”
Graziano noted that Spagnuolo’s age (65) and defensive background both “work against him” in the modern-day NFL, where everyone is searching for the next young offensive mind or QB guru.
Having said that, Graziano concluded that he would be “surprised” if Spagnuolo’s championship track record and “strong reputation around the league” don’t garner him a few interview requests this time around.
Fowler seconded that opinion, noting that Spagnuolo is “more than qualified” for another shot at an HC job.
The latter of the two insiders also added that Nagy’s 34-31 record in Chicago is “aging well.”
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Chiefs Staff Member Linked to NFC Head Coaching Job: Insider