The Chicago Bears are handing out interview requests to speak with top head coach candidates throughout the league at a dizzying rate with the latest going to Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports the Bears and Indianapolis Colts are the two teams who have requested an interview with the 39-year-old coach. These probably won’t be the only requests the Chiefs get from teams curious to hear from Nagy. As it stands, the Bears have reportedly lined up interviews with Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, while also requesting an interview with Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
As for Nagy, he has served as under Andy Reid since 2008, when he was a Philadelphia Eagles coaching intern before a promotion to coaches’ assistant in 2010. He was the Eagles’ offensive quality control coach in 2011 and 2012 before moving to the Kansas City Chiefs with Reid, where he moved up the ranks to quarterbacks coach (2013-15) and later into his present role as offensive coordinator.
The Bears will have to wait until next week to interview Nagy because the Chiefs are currently preparing for their Wild Card Saturday showdown against the Tennessee Titans. If they’re willing to wait, picking Nagy’s brain could be beneficial.
Kansas City’s offense has taken off since Reid handed over the play calling duties to Nagy. The Chiefs have averaged 28.6 points per game in those five contests and enter the playoffs riding a four-game winning streak. Quarterback Alex Smith seems to be peaking at the right time, posting a 105.3 passer rating, 7-to-1 touchdown-interception ratio, and an average of 292.3 passing yards in his last four games.
History suggests Nagy has as good of a shot of becoming a successful head coach as any of the top targets. Reid’s coaching tree is strong, and has five former assistants who are currently head coaches in the NFL. That includes Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles, who was the offensive coordinator before Nagy took over.
Nagy was a fringe candidate earlier in the season when the team jumped out to a 5-0 start, but his unit’s late-season rebirth has put him at the top of several coaching search lists.