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Matt Nagy In Lead For Titans’ HC Job?

By | at January 19, 2026 5:35 pm

With Jeff Hafley nearing an agreement to become the Dolphins’ head coach, that leaves one fewer candidate for the Titans. Tennessee had lined up a second interview with Hafley, but the team will have to look elsewhere. It appears the Titans are zeroing in on former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who “sure feels like” the frontrunner for the job, per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com.

Nagy’s second interview with the Titans is scheduled for Tuesday. San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is holding his second interview with Tennessee today. Saleh’s clearly still in the running, but it looks as if he’s facing an uphill climb to beat out Nagy for the role.

Unlike Saleh, Nagy has an extensive working relationship with Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi. That may ultimately tip the scales in Nagy’s favor. Borgonzi, who’s leading the Titans’ head coaching search, was a Chiefs employee from 2009-24. Nagy was an important part of the Chiefs’ coaching staff from 2013-17 and again from 2022-25.

While Nagy could remain in Kansas City in 2026, that looks unlikely. With Nagy’s contract up, the Chiefs are expected to hire Eric Bienemy as their offensive coordinator. The Cardinals, Ravens and Raiders have joined the Titans in interviewing Nagy for their head coaching positions. It’s unknown where the 47-year-old will go in 2026 if he’s not a head coach.

If Tennessee or another team hands Nagy the reins, he’ll aim for a longer tenure and better results in his second attempt as an NFL head coach. Nagy coached the Bears to a 34-31 record during a four-year run from 2018-21. He won Coach of the Year in his first season and helped the Bears to the playoffs twice, but an inability to develop a franchise quarterback played a large role in his firing. The Bears went 8-8 or worse in their last three seasons under Nagy, who couldn’t get enough from former first-round QBs Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields.

Nagy has since been part of three AFC-winning teams and two Super Bowl champions in Kansas City, where he has worked with future Hall of Fame signal-caller Patrick Mahomes. However, head coach Andy Reid – not Nagy – has been responsible for calling the offensive plays. Nagy doesn’t plan on calling the plays if he becomes a head coach again (via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network), which will make it all the more crucial for him to identify the right offensive coordinator.

If the Titans choose Nagy, they’ll count on him and his offensive staff to turn Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, into a franchise QB. Ward showed flashes as a rookie, but coaching instability (the team fired Brian Callahan in mid-October and rode out a 3-14 season with Mike McCoy) and a subpar supporting cast led to poor results in 2025.

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