Former Kansas City Chiefs OC Matt Nagy finds his ideal backup plan with help from the star of Andy Reid’s coaching tree
Former Chiefs OC Matt Nagy has found an ideal backup plan after striking out on head-coaching jobs.
Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has found his ideal backup plan after failing to find a head-coaching job during this cycle.
Early in the process, it was reported that if Nagy was unable to secure another head-coaching opportunity, he would seek a very specific offensive coordinator role. He didn’t want to be a CEO offensive coordinator with no say in play-calling. Nagy wanted to refine his skill as a play-caller to prove himself worthy of another opportunity to become an NFL head coach. He wasn’t going to get that with Andy Reid, but with his new job, he will get that opportunity. And it’s all thanks to one of the most successful members of Reid’s coaching lineage.
Matt Nagy to become play-calling offensive coordinator for the New York Giants
As first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Matt Nagy has landed the offensive coordinator role with the New York Giants under new head coach John Harbaugh. He’s expected to be the offensive play-caller for that staff, making this the ideal role for him as an offensive coordinator.
The Giants had interviewed 10 other candidates for their offensive coordinator vacancy, not including Nagy, as of Monday. It seems, however, that Harbaugh’s ties to Coach Reid came into play here, and that Nagy was able to seal the deal with his interview. It’s also worth noting that Nagy was born in New Jersey, so there’s definitely some location-based appeal for the former Chiefs coach.
Nagy and Harbaugh’s paths did not cross during their collective time with the Philadelphia Eagles under Andy Reid. They actually just missed each other. Nagy was with Reid in Philly from 2008 through 2012, while Harbaugh was with him from 1998 through 2007. Harbaugh, of course, found great success during his time as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. He’s third among active NFL head coaches in wins (180), and he won a Super Bowl in Baltimore back in Super Bowl XLVII. More recently, Harbaugh won NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2019. He’s among the most decorated NFL head coaches to come from Reid’s tree.
Reid’s connection to Harbaugh undoubtedly came into play in this job opportunity, but let’s not discount Nagy’s laurels. As the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in 2017, he coached Alex Smith to what was his best career season. His time with the Chicago Bears is often viewed as a failure, but it’s anything but that, given what he was working with at quarterback. Returning to Kansas City, he contributed to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances and two wins. That all has to have some level of appeal for a coaching staff that has a young-and-talented quarterback.
The big question for Nagy about this job is whether it’ll be a stepping stone to a future head-coaching opportunity. That’s probably what success would look like for him in New York and under Coach Harbaugh.
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