It isn't any secret that there isn't any love lost for Matt Nagy from a Chicago Bears fan base now able to appreciate the impact of a viable head coach. Ben Johnson's lone rookie season was far more successful than Nagy's entire tenure as the head coach, who so often failed to make simple adjustments and made time management mistakes that gave fans endless reasons for frustration. Leaving Bears fans paying attention to a hiring cycle that has shockingly included Nagy's name as a potential hire. The most likely fit appeared to be the Titans, but the franchise pivoted to Robert Saleh.
It seems that this was done so at the behest of GM Mike Borgonzi, with ESPN's Turron Davenport reporting the details, "Titans GM Mike Borgonzi ultimately made the decision to hire Robert Saleh. Monday's visit swayed the decision in Saleh's favor. Saleh impressed Borgonzi and the group enough to conclude he was the best candidate for the job." This paints a bleak picture for Nagy, who is now looking at landing the Arizona Cardinals job or being forced to turn back to searching for an offensive coordinator position.
One that isn't going to be in Kansas City with the franchise already pivoting in another direction, expected to bring back Eric Bieniemy to the role. This leaves Nagy in a truly bleak situation, either landing a less-than-ideal head coaching role or looking at the reality of regressing his career by joining a less accomplished franchise with a lesser quarterback.
Former Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy Finds Himself in Frustrating Position Amid Offseason Shakeup
The regression for Nagy was noted by DaBearsBlog, who offered "Nagy not getting the Titans job, while already having been replaced in KC, is damning." This is perfectly put, pointing out that the Chiefs were all too ready to move on, and Nagy was unable to land one of the more wide-open jobs throughout the league. The Titans were expected to hire either Saleh or Nagy, but the former Chicago coach losing out on this opportunity is likely going to push him back into a coordinator role.
Looking across the league, there isn't one landing spot that offers the talent of the Chiefs or has the clear leadership to earn Nagy another shot at head coach consideration. It seems that the coordinator has fumbled away his opportunity and is going to be forced to take a step back. This isn't a huge surprise to Chicago fans who were so often frustrated by Nagy's decision-making.
For the coach, it has to be disheartening not only to fail to land another shot at being a head coach but also to deal with the reality of demotion. If the Arizona job doesn't fall in Nagy's lap, it is going to be a return to an OC role, with the ideal openings for this role very quickly shrinking, leaving Nagy with a sense of urgency as the hiring cycle begins to wind down.