The Chicago Bears' hiring of Matt Nagy in 2018 initially appeared to be the ideal move, but it quickly turned into one of the most infamous NFL head coaching tenures in recent history. Seven years later, the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator is back in the rumor mill.
Since his release from the Bears, Nagy wasted no time returning to his old stomping grounds. The offensive guru returned to the Chiefs' staff under former mentor Andy Reid, who gave him his first NFL opportunity with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2008.
Nagy spent one year as the Chiefs' quarterbacks coach before assuming his former role as offensive coordinator. Kansas City's offense has been a well-oiled machine since, causing many to reflect on Nagy's failed stint with the Bears through rose-colored glasses and openly question how well he would do with a second NFL head coaching opportunity.
Nagy's second-chance plea has been bolstered by the recent success of Mike Vrabel and Dan Quinn, who have both found success in their additional opportunities. Vrabel has received overwhelming praise for his work getting the New England Patriots back on track, leaving many to wonder if Nagy would achieve similar results with the right organization.
As intriguing as it might be, Nagy's recurring success with the Chiefs cannot overshadow his disastrous run with the Bears. Any NFL team that takes a shot on him will only suffer from a similar fate.
Matt Nagy is a fine OC but not NFL head coach material
Sometimes, NFL coordinators can be outstanding coaches and not be head coach material. Both can be true, and that unfortunately appears to be the case with Matt Nagy.
What is established about Nagy is that he is exceptional as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator. That is all that can be certain at this stage of his career, as he has yet to prove himself in any other significant role.
Since he entered the NFL, Nagy has only strayed from Reid's staff once. He followed Reid from Philadelphia to Kansas City and returned to the Chiefs after flaming out with the Bears. Nagy has yet to prove himself as an offensive coordinator on any staff not run by Reid, let alone as a head coach. That is not to say that he cannot do it, but that he simply has yet to prove himself in that regard.
The only time he was not with Reid, Nagy attempted to mimic everything that had made his mentor successful. It worked in year one, when the Bears went 12-4 in 2018, earning Nagy the AP NFL Coach of the Year award. However, it became obvious right away that he had no answers when Plan A stopped working and everything fell apart.
Other questions arose when Nagy, who was touted as an elite offensive guru, failed to sustain any consistency within the Bears' offense. People wanted to give him credit for Patrick Mahomes' development, but Nagy could not do anything with either Mitchell Trubisky or Justin Fields, a pair of first-round quarterbacks.
Could Nagy have simply suffered from working with one of the worst-run organizations in the league? Perhaps. But Nagy is clearly a better scheme-setter and a play-caller than he is at running the entire show. That appeared to become clearer in the sequence that led to his firing.
Matt Nagy's failure to develop consistency is a red flag
There is no clearer indication that Nagy is a better offensive coordinator than a head coach than the chaotic sequence that contributed to his downfall. The quarterback situation hurt him, but Nagy's handling of the Bears' entire offense was even worse.
From Kyle Shanahan to Kevin Stefanski, several head coaches still maintain play-calling duties and find success with that method. Nagy attempted to be one of them in Chicago, but failed. That was not an issue in its own right, but rather his inability to let it go.
Nagy hired Mark Helfrich as his inaugural offensive coordinator, but retained play-calling duties. The experiment never got off the ground, resulting in the Bears finishing 21st and 29th in total yards in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Nagy responded by firing Helfrich and replacing him with Bill Lazor while maintaining the play-calling. The numbers improved slightly under Lazor, but not enough to make a difference. Nagy spent too much time tossing the play-calling responsibilities between himself and Lazor for the offense to develop any consistency.
Nagy has proven effective when he has sole control over an offense, as he currently does with the Chiefs. But whether it was ego or creative differences, he struggled to collaborate with his offensive coordinators.
Had it not been for legendary defensive coordinators Vic Fangio and Chuck Pagano, the Bears might not have ever made the playoffs under Nagy. As a coach with his background, that should not be the narrative.
Nagy will likely continue to garner head coaching consideration so long as his success with the Chiefs continues, but he is best suited for his current role and nothing more.
