Former KC Chiefs coach Matt Nagy faces hot seat with Bears in 2021

For a while, the NFL was treating the K.C. Chiefs offensive assistants like a “next man up” system for any and all head coaching vacancies. Doug Pederson won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles shortly after arriving, and then Matt Nagy was brought aboard to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears. The Windy City was hoping to import the same dynamic offensive flair into the NFC North as a way to combat the Green Bay Packers atop the division.

On the surface, the Matt Nagy hire isn’t exactly setting off fireworks, but over the last three years, he down own a 28-20 overall record as the team’s head coach. That sort of overall win percentage—and the lack of any bottoming out—would keep many coaches afloat, but this year, Nagy came under significant fire alongside general manager Ryan Pace for being largely ineffective in helping the team make the competitive leap forward. Consequently this is a very important upcoming season for both figures.

For Nagy, the quarterback options haven’t helped—how far is Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles going to carry this offense?—but there are reasons for those who look closely to believe that Nagy is part of the problem instead of just throwing Pace under the bus alone.

We recently asked site expert Rob Schwarz of Bear Goggles On, our sister site covering the Bears for FanSided, to tell us more about Nagy’s first three seasons in the league and if the rumors that he could be done after 2021 are true.

From the outside, Nagy seems like he could be on the hot seat in 2021. Is this true?

With how secretive the Chicago Bears organization pretends to be, if either Matt Nagy or Ryan Pace return in 2022 after another mediocre season, the fan base may revolt. Fans are already up in arms that both are returning this year.

That said, this organization, no matter how historic, refuses to make smart football decisions. Long story short, Matt Nagy might not be on the hot seat internally, but he very well should be.

Do you think Nagy has been given a fair shake given his selection of quarterbacks during his tenure so far?

I do, and here is why. Matt Nagy knew what he was inheriting when he decided to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears. While in Kansas City, he did his homework on Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Mitch Trubisky. He also saw what Trubisky did his rookie year under John Fox. Now, things did not go as planned, but that is also on Matt Nagy.

I, unfortunately, think Nagy winning Coach of the Year in 2018 stunted his growth as an NFL head coach. I think it might have gotten to his head a little bit as it probably would anyone in his situation. Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky seemed to have a bit of a falling out, but Ryan Pace bringing in Nick Foles was a Matt Nagy move if I have ever seen one. This gave Nagy both Trubisky and a handpicked Nick Foles to work with, but the offense still did not improve.

I am on record that I was okay with Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace returning for one more year and I stand by it. I was also okay if the team went in a completely different direction. The key was that if you kept Matt Nagy, Ryan Pace had to stay too. This should be a make-or-break year for the two of them here in Chicago.

What do you feel Nagy must do in 2021 specifically?

Nagy needs to continue to show the growth that he showed us last season. Fans need to remember that Nagy is a young, first-time head coach. Mistakes are going to happen, but did he learn and grow from those mistakes? Handing off play-calling to Bill Lazor last season was the first step in that growth in my opinion. Many times I think young, offensive-minded coaches who land a head coaching opportunity think they need to handle everything. This is not the case. Nagy can have his hand in the offense in other ways, but what he does best is lead. Nagy has a way to bring his players together. The locker room never seems to collapse, even during six-game losing streaks. This is important.

Specifically, in 2021 though, Matt Nagy needs to continue to let his coaches coach and focus on developing the offense instead of worrying about play-calling on game day. No matter who is under center for this team in 2021, the offense must show growth and improvement too. We saw it towards the end of the season when the offense shifted to help Trubisky and the run game succeed. Everyone chalked it up to facing bad defenses. This year, Matt Nagy and the team must prove the offense can put up points against anyone. If not, his time here will quickly come to an end.

What’s the floor for success and improvement that the Bears must show in order for Nagy to remain head coach in 2022?

If the offense is a top-15 offense in production and/or scoring, the team finishes at least 9-7 on the season and makes the playoffs, plus wins at least one playoff game, both Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace will see a contract extension. Anything less than that will keep their jobs in question for 2022.