Kansas City has fallen short of the playoffs for the first time since 2014. And the end of a run like that almost always results in major changes.
Now, Andy Reid has indicated to people close to him that at 67 years old, he’s not going anywhere. “He ain’t going out like that,” said one. However, that doesn’t mean that his staff members are all in for the long haul as well.
In a recent report, NFL Network insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport relayed that they’re hearing a lot of interest in Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy for a head coaching job in 2026. Nagy did not re-sign this past offseason and will be a free agent in the spring.
Whether it’s a head coaching job—which Nagy has experience with, having guided the Chicago Bears to two playoff appearances as their head coach from 2018-2021—or a play-calling job elsewhere (Reid handles that in K.C.), Pelissero and Rapoport seem to think Nagy is not long for Missouri.
That means a new sheriff in town on the offense in 2026.
The Chiefs could reunite with a beloved former OC in 2026
Matt Nagy has served as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator from 2016-217 and 2023 to the present. And the unit has been decent under his tutelage, but really nothing elite. The interest in him must have to do with his head coaching experience and proximity to Reid and winning.
But between those years, from 2018-2022, the offense turned into a juggernaut, the likes of which the NFL has rarely seen. And during that period, it was run by Eric Bieniemy. And he has not found consistent work as a head coach or coordinator since departing following the team’s win in Super Bowl 57.
Despite his wild success in K.C., Bieniemy was unable to land a head coaching job in the NFL. He settled instead for the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator role with the Washington Commanders in 2023.
He served in the same role for UCLA in 2024 before returning to the NFL as the Chicago Bears’ running backs coach this year. Though he’s likely not long for that job either.
Pelissero and Rapoport believe that a reunion in K.C. Could be on the horizon.
“That would mean Reid needs a new OC, with several of his former assistants -- including Eric Bieniemy and perhaps Giants interim HC Mike Kafka -- among potential candidates," they wrote.
Bieniemy’s inability to find a cushy gig after what he did with the Chiefs remains one the NFL’s great modern mysteries.
From 2018-2022, the Chiefs had an NFL-best 64 wins, 10 more than the next-best team. They scored 2,465 points, the most in the league by nearly 300. They gained more yards than any other team, at 33,308, nearly 1,500 more than the team in second place.
They reached five AFC Championships, won three, and won two Super Bowls during his tenure.
With the feeling surrounding the Chiefs at an all-time low right now, perhaps Bieniemy’s return is just what Kansas City needs to revive an offense that has been hibernating since his hasty departure.