After a brutal year, the Kansas City Chiefs have finally reached the offseason. The next few months will carry several key questions, including Travis Kelce’s future, Patrick Mahomes’s recovery from a torn ACL, and how general manager Brett Veach plans to shake up the roster after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Things might get even more interesting depending on the fate of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
Nagy’s contract with the Chiefs is set to expire in the coming weeks, and according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Tennessee Titans have already requested to interview the 47-year-old for their vacant head coaching position. If Nagy gets the job in Tennessee or lands one elsewhere, he’s sure to look to bring some players with him, which could put some current Chiefs in a new place entering the 2026 campaign.
1. Hollywood Brown, WR
Hollywood Brown was brought in before the 2024 season in an effort to bring a field-stretching element that has been absent since Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2022. But after an injury-plagued first season in Kansas City, Brown didn’t live up to those standards in his healthy encore, catching just 49 passes for 587 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games.
With Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy in the top two spots and rookie Jalen Royals behind him, Brown’s spot on the depth chart may not be there for 2026 even if they don’t retain pending free agent Tyquan Thornton. If he hits the market, he could be looking for a familiar face with his new team, which could lead him to wherever Nagy winds up.
If that happens to be the Titans, the chances of him following Nagy skyrocket. The Titans' top two receivers were a pair of rookies in Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, and while Tennessee could target a pass catcher in next year’s draft to help Cam Ward, adding a veteran presence like Brown may be an upgrade over Van Jefferson and Calvin Ridley.
Even if that doesn’t happen in Tennessee, Brown has value as a vertical threat, making him a good bet to follow Nagy wherever he goes.
2. Isiah Pacheco, RB
Another player who has likely played his last game with the Chiefs is Isiah Pacheco. A seventh-round gem from the 2022 draft, Pacheco ran for 1,765 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first two seasons. But just as it was about time to discuss a new contract, injuries caught up with the Rutgers product as he ran for 772 yards and two touchdowns.
With his explosiveness gone, Pacheco is the typical late-round running back that is used up and swapped out for a cheaper, younger replacement at the end of his rookie contract. The Chiefs have already taken a step in that direction as well, with Nagy proclaiming that rookie running back Brashard Smith was heading into a big offseason in advance of his second year. This puts the writing on the wall and sets up a potential reunion with Nagy at his next destination.
Using the Titans as an example, Nagy could use a player like Pacheco in the backfield. Tony Pollard is likely to leave in free agency after leaving the Titans with 1,082 yards and five touchdowns, but the rest of the cupboard is bare, with Tyjae Spears running for 283 yards and two touchdowns and all other running backs accounting for 47 yards.
Pacheco isn’t going to break off long runs and be an explosive member of the offense. But he can be the reliable, rusty truck with a bunch of mileage on it that can create a foundation for Nagy in Tennessee or elsewhere.
3. LB Leo Chenal
A lot of the names that will be linked to Nagy will be on the offensive side of the ball. But if he lands a head coaching job, he’s going to need to bring some players over to account for his defense. If he goes down that road, Leo Chenal would be a reasonable target.
Unlike the first two names on this list, Chenal is a productive player the Chiefs would like to keep around. He’s appeared in 65 games and started 44 since arriving as a third-round pick out of Wisconsin in the 2022 draft, and he’s one of the more reliable tacklers in the league, making 218 total tackles and 17 tackles for loss over his career. He also ranks 24th among 95 qualifying linebackers with an 8.4% missed tackle rate this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The problem is that the Chiefs already paid a linebacker last season. With Nick Bolton entering the second year of a three-year, $45 million contract, Kansas City may not have the stomach for another big-money contract for a linebacker – especially with the team sitting $52.7 million over the salary cap going into the offseason, according to OverTheCap.
Chenal already seems to have accepted the possibility that he’s played his last game with the Chiefs, putting out a cryptic Instagram post after being placed on injured reserve due to a season-ending shoulder injury. If Nagy wants to set the tone on defense, Chenal would be a good place to start.