The coaching carousel in the NFL is in full swing as we approach the Divisional Round. The Los Angeles Chargers are in search of a new offensive coordinator, and a number of teams who fell short either in the regular season or the Wild Card Round are seeking out the coach who will hopefully turn their team around.
The Las Vegas Raiders, who have long been the Chargers' rival in the AFC West, have perhaps the most boom-or-bust position among these teams. After bringing in legendary coach Pete Carroll and drafting Ashton Jeanty in the first round, there was hope that things could start to be different this year.
They weren't.
The Raiders finished 3-14 and were dead last in the AFC West. Carroll was fired rather quickly after the season ended, and they will look toward a new head coach and the first overall pick to bring them back into relevancy.
Las Vegas has the offensive talent required so that a new quarterback and a solid head coach could turn things around quickly, leaving the AFC West exponentially more competitive than it might be otherwise.
Los Angeles, therefore, must hope their rivals yet again fail to make the right decisions that could bring that scenario about.
Chargers must hope the Raiders hire Matt Nagy
With Jeanty, Brock Bowers, and likely Fernando Mendoza on their roster come the start of next season, Las Vegas has a massive choice in front of them in who they want to lead their team.
So far, they have interviewed Klint Kubiak, Kevin Stefanski, Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, and Matt Nagy for the position. Kubiak and Stefanski will likely be in higher demand given the number of openings and will take jobs elsewhere.
Joseph might be a solid choice, but his defensive pedigree might make Las Vegas shy away in favor of someone who can help develop Mendoza.
In that case, the choice comes down to Webb or Nagy.
After a lengthy stint as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, Nagy got his first head coaching opportunity with the Chicago Bears in 2018. He remained for four seasons, and the results were middling.
The Bears held a 34-31 record during those four seasons, making the playoffs twice but not earning a single postseason win.
The results upon his return to the Chiefs are significantly more damaging. Between 2018 and 2021, when Nagy was with Chicago, Kansas City finished outside of the top five in total offensive scoring only once. Since his return, they have finished 15th, 15th, and 21st respectively in three years.
There are extenuating factors at play here, admittedly. Nagy does not have sole play-calling duties with the Chiefs, with Andy Reid getting final say, and few would argue that the team's offensive weapons are the same caliber as they once were.
At the same time, it is clear that Nagy no longer has the edge he once did as an offensive coach. Given the potential for the Raiders and Chiefs to have a bounce-back year, making the AFC West more competitive for the Chargers, they must hope that Nagy is ultimately the direction Las Vegas chooses.