It is becoming increasingly clear that the Kansas City Chiefs will have an opening on their offensive staff in 2026, as offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has been interviewed for multiple head coaching positions. Whether or not Nagy actually lands one of those jobs remains to be seen, but even if he doesn’t, many speculate that his expired contract in Kansas City will not be renewed.
The Chiefs don’t have many in-house candidates who are practical fits for the job. Passing game coordinator Joe Bleymaier or quarterbacks coach David Girardi are the only coaches on the current staff who might even be able to throw their names in the hat. Those names don’t move the needle for the general public, but neither would be a complete shock if a promotion were offered.
But there is a bigger name out there that could start to gain traction in the Chiefs Kingdom rumor mill. His résumé includes a Super Bowl championship as a head coach with an NFC team, and his ties to Andy Reid make him an obvious candidate.
(The best part about that description is that it could have all applied to former Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson, but that’s not who this is about.)
Former Raiders and Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden could emerge as an offensive coordinator candidate in Kansas City.
Rewind back to 1992. The Packers had fired head coach Lindy Infante and started from scratch with new head coach Mike Holmgren. The former 49ers assistant assembled his staff, including fellow BYU staffer Andy Reid and former San Francisco assistant Jon Gruden. The Packers also swung a trade for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Brett Favre, and the rest is history.
The Kansas City ties to Gruden are fascinating. Gruden also coached under former Chiefs offensive coordinator Paul Hackett at the University of Pittsburgh in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After spending three years together in Green Bay, Reid and Gruden eventually went their separate ways, both earning head coaching jobs in the late 1990s and each eventually winning a Super Bowl in their second stint as a head coach—Gruden with the Buccaneers, Reid with the Chiefs.
Gruden’s fascination with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is well documented. In his 2017 QB Camp video series, Gruden was wowed by Mahomes’ arm talent, gleefully admitting to the gunslinger, “I could have some fun with you, man!”
A Gruden hire would almost certainly come with some level of controversy. In 2021, Gruden resigned from his second stint with the Raiders after it was revealed that he used inappropriate terminology in several emails. Gruden later filed a lawsuit against commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL, and that legal battle remains unresolved. However, if a preferred landing spot became available, Gruden might be willing to drop his case. That would open the door for him to potentially return to an NFL sideline.
In 2024, Gruden was spotted at Chiefs training camp in an advisory role. With the Chiefs on the cusp of beginning their pursuit of a third consecutive Lombardi Trophy, some viewed Gruden’s presence as a distraction. In hindsight, perhaps it was a glimpse of what was to come.