AFC Team Requests Matt Nagy for Head Coach Interview – What Happens in KC If Nagy Departs?

Matt Nagy is reportedly taking the first step toward a potential return to the head coaching ranks. If he leaves, will he go alone?

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy (left) and coach Andy Reid react against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As the 2024 regular season ends, several NFL franchises are looking for their next head coach after a disappointing year. Could the Kansas City Chiefs lose a top assistant to one of those rudderless teams?

On Monday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the New York Jets have requested to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy for their vacant head coaching position.

#Jets have requested to interview #Chiefs OC Matt Nagy for head coach, source confirms.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 6, 2025

The Jets are the second team to express interest in Nagy as a head coaching candidate, as the New Orleans Saints are reportedly expected to "show interest" in Nagy as they weigh their options.

The request for Nagy is not the Jets' only peek toward Kansas City. Earlier Monday morning, the Jets reportedly requested to interview Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi for their vacant general manager position.

Under the umbrella of far-too-early speculation: Could the Jets look to double-down on Chiefs as they attempt to recalibrate their organization? There's no reason to believe that Borgonzi and Nagy are being viewed as a package deal, but for a team as dysfunctional as New York, a Borgonzi-Nagy duo could give the new general manager a head coach he's familiar with, and vice versa.

On a similar note, while most Chiefs fans wouldn't fear Nagy's departure while rightly noting that it's truly always been head coach Andy Reid's offense, Nagy would likely take several offensive assistants with him to his next destination if he were to get the job. With Eric Bieniemy available once again, would the Chiefs look to reunite with their previous offensive coordinator, or would someone like pass game coordinator Joe Bleymaier get a chance to coordinate the offense? If current Chiefs coaches were offered better spots on Nagy's theoretical staff, who would rise in KC?

Those questions shouldn't concern Chiefs fans at this point, but they're worth keeping in mind. Reid's coaching tree has been fruitful throughout his NFL career, and he typically has a deep roster of coaches in-house who appear to be in line for a step up when others depart. Ultimately, as the Jets do their due diligence and interview a long list of coaching candidates, Nagy is still more likely to be in Kansas City in 2025 than anywhere else.

Last week, Reid publicly supported the idea of any of his three coordinators — Nagy, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and special teams coordinator Dave Toub — getting a chance to lead an NFL team in the future.

"You could take all of the coordinators there and put them right in that mix for sure," Reid said. "Both of them – offensive and defensive guys – are phenomenal, [and] Toub does a great job. I know the two names that normally come up are the offensive and defensive coordinators. Both of those two warrant that, yeah, for sure."

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