The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to get their offense back to its explosive ways after a disappointing 2025 season, where they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The 6-11 campaign has Chiefs fans in an unfamiliar position, trying to figure out what to do during the month of January. But it also put Andy Reid in a different situation with his coaching staff.
Reid’s first move came earlier this month when he allowed Matt Nagy’s contract to expire and brought back Eric Bieniemy to replace him as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. While the decision was designed to bring Kansas City back to its glory days, it also came with the revelation that Reid had decided to move on from Nagy after the 2024 season.
“Matt and I have a great relationship,” Reid said via ESPN’s Nate Taylor. “Before the season even started here, I knew that he wanted an opportunity to have his own show. He’s been a head coach. He was Coach of the Year [in 2018 with the Chicago Bears]. All the things I’ve said about him, I still feel [that way] about him.”
Reid continued to pump Nagy’s tires throughout the session with the media, stating that the next team that hires him will be “getting a gem.” But Reid’s history with Nagy and the decision to keep going with him when the offense dropped off upon his arrival in 2023 makes what was an initial mistake continue to look worse.
Andy Reid's Loyalty to Matt Nagy Led to Chiefs' Wasted Year
The Nagy mistake was first made when the Chiefs were looking for an offensive coordinator to replace Bieniemy following the 2022 season. That script worked before as Nagy helped the Chiefs finish fifth in total yards and sixth in scoring offense as Kansas City’s OC during the 2017 season. But outside of finishing ninth in total offense in his return to the position in 2023, the Chiefs never returned to the top 10 in either category, as the offense took a step back in every offensive category.
Eric Bieniemy as OC (2018-22) | Matt Nagy as OC (2023-25 | |
|---|---|---|
Points Per Game | 30.0 | 21.9 |
Total Offense Per Game | 406.1 | 333.1 |
Passing Yards Per Game | 294.6 | 227.5 |
Rushing Yards Per Game | 111.5 | 105.6 |
Taylor noted that there were some things out of his control. A slew of injuries that included running back Isiah Pacheco, along with receivers Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice, made the Chiefs' march to the Super Bowl a little more difficult in 2024 and may not have happened with the adjustments that were made. But with Reid calling the plays, it’s hard to tell how much credit Nagy deserves for that.
It is also bizarre that the Chiefs decided to move on from Nagy a year in advance but kept him on staff as a lame duck coordinator for the 2025 season. Had the Chiefs pivoted, they could have landed a better offensive mind, including Klint Kubiak (Seattle Seahawks), Klay Kubiak (San Francisco 49ers), Klayton Adams (Dallas Cowboys), and Grant Udinski (Jacksonville Jaguars), who all had successful stints with their new teams.
Instead, Nagy’s offense dragged through his final season in Kansas City, ranking 20th in total offense and 21st in scoring. While the Chiefs have reason to suggest differently, there was also no reason for Nagy to invest in the young players on the team, knowing he wouldn’t have been around past this season. That could be the reason why Brashard Smith and Jalen Royals had disappointing rookie seasons, and Xavier Worthy regressed after an impressive rookie campaign in 2024.
With Nagy unable to find a head coaching job, it felt like Reid’s attempt to cater to him was a waste of time for everyone involved. Now Nagy will look for a new job, and the Chiefs will hope Bieniemy can correct the problem in his second stint in Kansas City, which is something that probably should have been done at least one year ago.