Chiefs elevate Matt Nagy to replace Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator

Matt Nagy is the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs again.

The Super Bowl champions are promoting Nagy from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator to replace Eric Bieniemy after Bieniemy became the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, the team announced on Friday. Bieniemy succeeded Nagy as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator when Nagy was hired as the head coach of the Chicago Bears after the 2017 season.

Nagy spent four seasons as the Bears’ head coach before he was fired at the end of the 2021 season. Chicago went 12-4 in his first season before going 8-8 in two seasons and 6-11 in Nagy’s final season. The Bears infamously drafted Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2 in the 2017 NFL draft ahead of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.

The team’s poor quarterback play was a big factor in its lack of success during Nagy’s tenure. The Bears averaged fewer than 20 points per game in two of Nagy's four seasons as head coach.

After the Bears fired him, he rejoined the Chiefs as a senior assistant and quarterbacks coach. It was his second time working with Mahomes after he was in his second season as the team’s offensive coordinator during Mahomes’ rookie season. Mahomes made one start during that season and it came in the final week when the Chiefs had already wrapped up their spot in the AFC playoffs.

Nagy first worked with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia. He came to Kansas City when Reid was hired in 2013. Nagy spent three seasons as the team’s quarterbacks coach before he succeeded Doug Pederson as Chiefs OC when Pederson was hired as the Eagles’ head coach.

Bieniemy deserves a ton of credit for his work with Mahomes and the Chiefs offense over the past five seasons, but it reasons there won't be a massive change in the way Kansas City does things on offense in 2023 with Nagy’s promotion given the presence of Reid and Mahomes. Reid works closely with his offensive coordinators when it comes to game designs and play-calling and the team has likely been preparing for Bieniemy's departure for some time given the myriad head coaching interviews he's had since the Chiefs won the Super Bowl after the 2019 season.