Before they officially concluded a frustrating 2025 season, Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs lost a longtime coach for 2026 with assistant defensive line coach Alex Whittingham joining his father Kyle at the Michigan Wolverines.
But the Chiefs face the risk of losing at least one more coach with key assistants drawing interview requests. On Monday, Jordan Schultz of FOX reported that the Tennessee Titans requested to speak with both offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, showing a clear interest in Reid’s coaching staff.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the report during his weekly Zoom conference, Reid faced questions about his assistants for the 2026 NFL season, though he didn’t want to expand on the topic.
“I haven’t got that far… I just got through with the players, had a chance to meet with them. I’ll step back for a minute and kind of go for there,” said Reid, who still shared an optimistic prediction for what’s next in Kansas City—a message that Nagy and Spagnuolo probably want to hear before considering their future elsewhere.
“We didn’t play great, for sure, but the future is bright,” Reid added. “We look forward to getting going here this offseason and getting ourselves right for this upcoming season.”
Nagy and Spagnuolo’s contribution to Reid’s success with Chiefs
2025 put the Chiefs in unfamiliar territory, with the team failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Since Spagnuolo took charge of the defense in 2019, Kansas City had never fallen short of the AFC Championship Game, reaching the Super Bowl five times and winning the Vince Lombardi on three occasions.
Nagy is also extremely familiar with Reid’s scheme on the Chiefs, having folllowed Big Red from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 2013. He left for a shot as a head coach with the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2021, reuniting with Reid in 2022 as things in the Windy City didn’t go to plan for Nagy.
“Great guys on the staff here. We have some qualified guys here, there are qualified guys out there too. Haven’t got that far, we’ll see where all this goes, got a lot of time until that. I’m not rushing here,” Reid added on the potential departure of his assistants.
2026 puts Nagy, Spagnuolo in position to consider Chiefs future
Nagy is out of contract, which gives him the opportunity to have a second shot at head coaching. Word on the street is that he could even leave for another offensive coordinator job if he can call plays, so his future might be outside Kansas City in 2026.
Spagnuolo has been linked to head coaching opportunities for a while now, and unlike previous years where he was busy preparing for playoff games, he’ll have time to listen to other teams this time.
Changes appear to be inevitable for the Chiefs after taking many steps back in 2025, and it could lead many to look for a fresh start elsewhere. The team is also making its own decisions to have different faces, with the Chiefs parting ways with a quarterback in 2026 before Patrick Mahomes returns from injury.
Reid, however, believes that the future is still bright in Kansas City. Only time will tell us how many share that vision and decide to join him in his quest for the Chiefs’ resurgence.