Changes are coming for the Kansas City Chiefs following a disappointing 2025 NFL season. Not only will they see a different roster next year, but Andy Reid is also expected to lose members of his coaching staff in 2026.
On Saturday, Reid and the Chiefs found out they’re officially losing their first assistant coach for the 2026 campaign with assistant defensive line coach Alex Whittingham leaving for a job in college football.
The University of Michigan announced its defensive coaching staff hirings for 2026, with Alex becoming the Wolverines’ new linebackers coach in a staff led by his father, Kyle, who’s entering his first year as head coach of the program.
Alex has been part of Reid’s coaching staff in Kansas City since 2018, serving on different roles and working with practically every defensive unit during his long tenure with the Chiefs.
Whittingham spent his first year in Kansas City working with the outside linebackers before transitioning to the defensive line room in 2019. The next four seasons he coached the linebackers group, and in 2024, he worked with the secondary.
Alex Whittingham’s tenure with Reid on the Chiefs
Starting his NFL coaching career with the Chiefs as a defensive assistant, working mostly with the outside linebackers after playing the position for Utah in college, Whittingham changed to defensive quality-control coach in 2019, staying close to the defensive line room. From 2020 to 2023, he worked with a linebackers group that saw the likes of Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal rise to stardom.
He switched to the secondary by returning to the defensive assistant position in 2024, but 2025 saw him get promoted to assistant defensive line coach, a vacancy left by Terry Bradden Jr’s move to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Whittingham was part of the five Super Bowl trips the Chiefs made under Reid, celebrating three rings in Kansas City. The Chiefs were top-10 in points against in six of his eight years with the team, including top-six finishes in each of the last three seasons. In addition, Kansas City was top-12 in yards allowed per game in each of the last four seasons with Whittingham on staff.
Whittingham joining his father at Michigan may be just the first of many coaching changes in Kansas City this offseason. While Reid revealed his intention to coach the Chiefs in 2026, others might be looking elsewhere.
Reid could lose more Chiefs coaches in 2026
With Whittingham gone, the Chiefs are at risk of losing at least one more coach in 2026 with key Reid assistants set for interviews. Running out of contract, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is expected to audition for multiple head coaching openings in the NFL. The Tennessee Titans have emerged as the first suitor, given Nagy’s connection with former Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi, now GM for the Titans. But even if he doesn’t land a HC job, Nagy could still leave for an OC opening elsewhere if given the play-calling responsibilities.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, also sought by the Titans, tends to be a coveted name in every offseason, and after running the unit for the Chiefs since 2019, perhaps he entertains the possibility of starting a new chapter in 2025.
After failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and finishing 2025 with a losing record, the Chiefs might show up in 2026 with not only a different roster, but also a different coaching staff around Reid, who left a bold message for Nagy and Spagnuolo to hear as he’s confident about next year.