The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with the possibility of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy leaving as he draws head coaching interest. Losing Nagy could be argued as an addition by subtraction, with the coordinator an unpopular figure among the fan base. The obviously more interesting discussion is where the Chiefs might turn when searching for a potential replacement. While it is easy to argue the best options are external, it would be short-sighted to ignore the possibility that head coach Andy Reid opts to promote from within.
Based on recent struggles from the receivers, running backs, and offensive line, it is easy to rule out a handful of potential successors. This leads us to quarterbacks coach David Girardi, who has had an impressive rise through Kansas City's coaching system. Girardi started his career as a graduate assistant in 2011 at Seton Hill. Working his way through the college system, Girardi would eventually be hired by the Chiefs in 2018 as the offensive quality control coach.
The assistant coach served in this position until 2021, when he became an assistant quarterbacks coach and a passing game analyst. The most recent promotion would come in 2023 when Girardi would be elevated to the role of quarterbacks coach. This would oversee a Super Bowl win and a 2024 season when Mahomes consistently found late-game magic to pull Kansas City out of the fire.
David Girardi Is the Pefect Internal Matt Nagy Replacement
This isn't to argue that Girardi is the most qualified or the first place that the Chiefs should look. Rather, it is considering the current staff and looking for who has the needed experience, as well as providing a fresh perspective. Nagy's tenure has been defined by consistent underachieving and a lack of innovative offensive attacks, meaning the Chiefs have nothing to lose by rolling the dice on something new.
Girardi has been with the Chiefs going back to the days of Eric Bieniemy being the OC, having a chance to observe and learn from two very different types of Kansas City offenses. This is an advantage, along with the youth of a coach who is quickly building a resume deserving of a chance at a coordinator position. While looking on the outside might be obvious, hiring Girardi would be a solid decision that brings some energy and youth to the position.
This is the biggest critique with Kansas City's 2025 team: that there was consistently a lack of urgency or willingness to adjust from an older coaching staff. While defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is exempt from this criticism due to his performance, it was permeating through the offense, with the one notable exception being the play of Mahomes.
Mahomes'numbers don't reflect how well he played, and they'd likely look better if Nagy weren't steering the ship. Having said that, Girardi does deserve credit for the success that No. 15 saw. That alone makes him deserving to be Spagnuolo's successor should the beloved DC leave Kansas City this offseason.