KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs went back to the future with their promotion of Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator. The team announced the move on Friday, one week after former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s departure. Bieniemy was the offensive coordinator for the past five seasons before taking a similar position with the Washington Commanders.
Nagy, 44, was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for head coach Andy Reid in 2016 and 2017, their last two seasons with Alex Smith as their starting quarterback. The Chiefs were 20th in the league in yards and 13th in scoring in 2016 but made a jump the next season to fifth in yards and sixth in scoring.
Nagy then left for four seasons to be the head coach for the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2021. He returned to the Chiefs last year as quarterbacks coach and senior offensive assistant.
What does this mean for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs?
In a word: stability. Nagy coached under Reid for three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and then came to the Chiefs as quarterbacks coach when Reid arrived in 2013.
That continuity is important for Mahomes, who in the past year has seen the departure of Bieniemy, former Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka and long-time backup quarterback Chad Henne, who retired after Super Bowl LVII. Henne was a major influence for Mahomes, particularly early in his career. The Chiefs at the time wanted a veteran quarterback to help serve as a mentor for Mahomes.
Reid said last year that continuity was one of the reasons he was eager to get Nagy back on the Chiefs’ staff and working with Mahomes. Mahomes was a rookie backup in 2017 when Nagy was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator.
