Kansas City Chiefs lose their first coach of the 2026 NFL offseason — and they haven’t even played their final game yet

A defensive assistant who has been with the Kansas City Chiefs for nearly a decade is heading to the college ranks as a position coach.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to undergo some changes to the coaching staff this offseason, with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy on an expiring contract. Others are expected to explore opportunities in the NFL and college football, which could create some vacancies on Andy Reid’s staff.

As of Saturday, Jan. 3, the Chiefs have already received confirmation that they’ll be losing one defensive assistant who has been with the club for nearly a decade.

Chiefs defensive assistant Alex Whittingham to join his dad at the University of Michigan

The University of Michigan announced on Saturday that Chiefs assistant defensive line coach Alex Whittingham, son of new UM head coach Kyle Whittingham, would be joining the staff as a linebackers coach. During his tenure with the Chiefs, Whittingham worked with virtually every unit on the defensive side of the ball.

Reid played with Kyle at BYU in the late 70s, so it’s no surprise that Alex got his NFL coaching start as a defensive assistant in 2018 after his playing career as a linebacker at Utah ended. With the Chiefs in 2018, Whittingham helped coach Dee Ford to a career year. He’d take on a defensive quality-control coaching role in 2019, working closely with the defensive line and stars like Chris Jones and Frank Clark en route to Super Bowl LIV.

In 2020, his focus as a defensive quality control shifted as he began working closely with the linebacker group. He notably helped turn the trio of Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal, and Drue Tranquill into one of the league’s best in 2023. That lasted for four seasons before Alex’s focus shifted to the secondary in 2024, also working as Steve Spagnuolo’s assistant. In 2025, he was promoted to assistant defensive line coach, replacing Terry Bradden Jr., who left to join the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Shameless plug for my X (formerly Twitter) account, but if you follow me there, you might have known this move was possible just a few days ago.

It’s unclear whether Alex will coach in the final game of the season, Week 18 vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.

Chiefs coaching staff update

The Tennessee Titans have requested to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy for their open head coaching position. Titans general manager Mike Borgonazi was in Kansas City’s front office from 2009 through 2024.

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