Matthew Nagy ( or ; born April 24, 1978) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is currently the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2021. Nagy served as the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs in two separate stints, from 2016 to 2017 and from 2023 to 2025.
As a quarterback, Nagy played college football for the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens from 1997 to 2000, setting various school passing records. After failing to receive an NFL contract, Nagy joined the Arena Football League (AFL), where he spent six seasons playing for the New York Dragons, Carolina Cobras, Georgia Force, and Columbus Destroyers.
After finishing his playing career, Nagy became an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009, spending five seasons in various offensive positions under head coach Andy Reid. In 2013, when Reid joined the Kansas City Chiefs, Nagy followed him to become the quarterbacks coach, a role Nagy served until he was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016. Nagy was named the Bears' head coach in 2018, and in that season led the team to their first NFC North division title and playoff appearance since 2010. He was part of the Chiefs' coaching staff that won Super Bowl LVII and Super Bowl LVIII.
Early life Matthew Nagy was born on April 24, 1978, in Dunellen, New Jersey, and lived in Piscataway as a toddler. His parents, Gail Stouch and Bill Nagy, divorced when he was three years old, after which Matt moved with Stouch from Piscataway to Manheim, Pennsylvania. Growing up, Nagy participated in various sports like football, with teammates describing him as being very competitive; close friend and football teammate Eric Zeigler quipped that he "couldn't imagine how someone cared that much, even if it was about a basketball game on his driveway."
Nagy played high school football and basketball for Manheim Central High School in Pennsylvania, becoming the starting quarterback in the former as a junior. In 1994, Nagy led the Barons to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class AAA playoffs, where they reached the semifinals against the Berwick Bulldogs. Entering the game, Manheim Central was on a 26-game winning streak and was ranked No. 1 in Class AAA and No. 17 in USA Today national rankings. While the Barons primarily used the veer running offense, head coach Mike Williams elected to switch to a pass-heavy system for the Berwick game to surprise the Bulldogs. Nagy completed 20 of 28 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns in the semifinal, but threw an interception with 28 seconds remaining to seal a 37–30 loss.
In 1995, Nagy threw for 1,928 yards and 21 touchdowns and ran for 358 yards and six touchdowns. Manheim Central went 13–0 with over 5,500 total offensive yards and averaged 48.3 points per game in their final seven matches. However, the Barons lost to Berwick in the semifinal for the second straight season, with Nagy once again being intercepted late in the game to clinch a narrow 18–17 loss. He ended his senior year by being named Lancaster County Most Valuable Player. Nagy graduated high school with a 26–2 record and over 3,500 passing yards.
College career Despite his success in high school, Nagy did not receive many offers from NCAA Division I-A schools due to his slow 40-yard dash time of 4.7 seconds and small stature at and . While schools like Syracuse and Wake Forest seriously considered Nagy, they ultimately withdrew upon signing other quarterbacks. Instead, he was offered scholarships from Division I-AA schools Delaware and New Hampshire, gaining interest in the former while attending James Madison's game against them in 1995. Although Rutgers head coach Terry Shea also expressed interest in recruiting him, Nagy verbally committed to Delaware.
Nagy played for the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens from 1997 to 2000. While the Blue Hens traditionally used a run-heavy Wing T offense under head coach Tubby Raymond, Nagy and more talented receivers led to an increase in passing; in 2000, Delaware's offense attempted at least 30 passes in eight of thirteen games. Teammates and future coaching colleagues of Nagy's included Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and Bears assistant Brian Ginn, the latter being the starting quarterback prior to Nagy.
After redshirting his freshman year, Nagy served as Ginn's backup in 1997. When Ginn hurt his shoulder in the first round of the I-AA playoffs, Nagy replaced him as starter. Taking on Georgia Southern in the quarterfinal, Nagy completed nine of 15 passes for 125 yards as the Blue Hens won 16–7. In the semifinal against McNeese State, he threw two second-half touchdown passes but a last-second field goal pushed McNeese State to a 21–20 victory.
Ginn and Nagy shared the starting job to open the 1998 campaign, but the former broke his leg in the third game of the year against West Chester and was unable to play for the remainder of the season. Nagy went on to set 11 school single-season passing records, including yards in a season (2,916) and yards in a game (556 against Connecticut), as he ended the year with 20 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions and a 157.36 passer rating, the second-best in the nation. Nagy also helped wide receiver Eddie Conti break the NCAA record for receiving yards in a season with 1,712 on 98 receptions.
In 1999, Nagy became the permanent starter ahead of Ginn. Seven games into the season, Nagy suffered a high ankle sprain in a 26–19 loss to UMass, forcing him to miss time and snapping a 15-game starting streak. With Ginn, the Blue Hens won the next two games. Nagy made a limited return the following week against Rhode Island, entering the game during the third quarter, where he failed to complete each of his four pass attempts before being substituted for Mike Medley in the final period. Ginn remained the starter for the season finale against Villanova. After Ginn was briefly knocked out of the game, Nagy filled in early in the fourth quarter and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Butter Pressy to put the Blue Hens up 45–24. However, Villanova scored 21 unanswered points to tie the game before winning 51–45 in overtime.
In his senior year in 2000, Nagy and the Blue Hens won all but one game to end the regular season ranked second in Division I-AA, while the offense averaged 42.6 points and 460 yards per game. Delaware opened the 2000 I-AA playoffs by blowing out Portland State 49–14, during which Nagy threw for 263 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception; the yards elevated Nagy's season total to 2,981, surpassing the school record he set in 1998. A 47–22 victory over Lehigh in the quarterfinal followed as Nagy recorded 266 passing yards, enabling him to the first quarterback in Delaware history to break 3,000 passing yards in a season, and two touchdowns. The Blue Hens' season came to an end in the semifinal when they lost to Georgia Southern 27–18. Nagy completed 16 of 38 attempts for 189 yards and an interception in his final college game. Nagy ended the season with 3,436 passing yards, setting a school record that stood until Joe Flacco eclipsed the mark in 2007, and a program-best 29 touchdown throws. For his campaign, Nagy was named third-team I-AA All-American, becoming Delaware's first All-American quarterback since Rich Gannon in 1986.
Nagy concluded his college career with 8,214 passing yards, 58 touchdown passes, and a rating of 146.74, all of which were the best in team history. As a student, Nagy majored and earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education (PE). In June 2019, he returned to the university to speak at the school's commencement ceremony and received an honorary degree as a Doctor of Science.
Professional career
After not being selected in the 2001 NFL draft, Nagy attracted interest from the New York Giants as a free agent, though their acquisition of Jesse Palmer ended that possibility. On September 11, Nagy participated in a tryout with the Green Bay Packers, but was not signed. Later auditions with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Jets – the third coming after beginning his arena football career in 2002 – and a phone conversation with Minnesota Vikings officials also failed to result in contracts.
Talking about his efforts to make the NFL, Nagy said in 2018, "I was at a point where I'm out of college [and] I'm kind of figuring which direction I'm going to go. Am I going to get a chance in the NFL? Am I going to use my degree and become a teacher? Am I going to try a lower-level league in the football world?"
New York Dragons Without any opportunities in the NFL, Nagy tried out for the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League. There, he caught the eye of head coach John Gregory, who likened Nagy to his former Iowa Barnstormers star and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner as the two were comparable in size, possessed the ability to throw while running, and shared similar leadership qualities. Gregory was also close with Raymond and formerly ran the Wing T offense, further supporting his decision to sign Nagy. The Dragons offered Nagy a three-year contract, though agent Art Weiss opted for a two-year deal.
Nagy made his AFL debut in the 2002 season opener against the Los Angeles Avengers when he replaced a struggling Danny Ragsdale in the fourth quarter; Nagy completed three of eight passes for 68 yards and a touchdown to Steve Papin as New York lost 43–25. Nagy was later named the starter for the Buffalo Destroyers game, where he was 27-of-37 for 300 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a Dragons 69–54 win. In the Detroit Fury match, Nagy was substituted out for Danny Kanell, who threw three touchdowns to lead the Dragons to a 44–37 win and subsequently became the starter. In June, Kanell's struggles against the Orlando Predators prompted Nagy to return to action in the fourth quarter, where he threw a 12-yard touchdown to Jason Maxwell for his lone score in the 52–33 loss. Aaron Garcia, who was New York's regular starting quarterback until he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason, returned to the team for the remainder of the 2002 season. Nagy started six games in his rookie year, ending with 1,242 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
During the offseason, Nagy tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a flag football game in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that prevented him from playing the 2003 season. While rehabilitating his leg alongside trainer Steve Saunders, Nagy also spent the year receiving his real estate license and working as a substitute PE teacher. When not on the Dragons' active roster, Nagy was the team's color commentator for radio broadcasts.
Carolina Cobras On November 13, 2003, Nagy was traded to the Carolina Cobras in exchange for lineman Tim McGill. The Cobras, who went 0–16 in 2003, hired Gregory as offensive coordinator for the 2004 season. In the first game of the year against the Dallas Desperados, Nagy recorded 282 passing yards and seven total touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) as Carolina won 67–41 and snapped a 17-game losing streak. The opening victory was followed by a 54–53 win over the Columbus Destroyers when Nagy threw the game-winning touchdown to Damien Groce as time expired. However, the Cobras lost the next four games and head coach Ed Khayat was fired, leading to Gregory's promotion. In the first game with Gregory as interim head coach, taking on the defending ArenaBowl champion Tampa Bay Storm, Carolina scored 24 unanswered points in the third quarter and Nagy had four touchdown passes as the Cobras won 54–43; it was the Cobras' first home win since 2002.