Depending on what you think of Mike McCarthy's chances, the Tennessee Titans seem to be down to three or four finalists for their head coaching job. The other names included are San Francisco 49ers DC Robert Saleh, Green Bay Packers DC Jeff Hafley, and Matt Nagy.
Nagy was previously the OC for the Kansas City Chiefs, but his contract was not extended or renewed at the conclusion of this season. The Chiefs seem to be moving on regardless of whether or not Nagy gets a coaching job elsewhere.
Adam Schefter summarized the situation like this on X:
With Chiefs OC Matt Nagy being a finalist for the Titans’ head coaching job and also on an expiring contract, the Chiefs are lining up potential replacements. https://t.co/WEDl2FWVzw
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2026
Kliff Kingsbury earned a reputation as the king of "failing upward," but Nagy might be coming for that crown if he lands the Titans' head coaching job this offseason.
Adam Schefter tweet summarizes the costly mistake the Titans would be making by hiring Matt Nagy as their next head coach
Based on how Nagy is viewed publicly and the complete lack of buzz around his potential to land anywhere else, the Titans appear to be the only team seriously considering him for a head coaching job. Not only that, but it is unclear if anyone would even be interested in hiring him as a play-calling offensive coordinator.
If the Titans hire Nagy, it would be impossible for Mike Borgonzi to convince this fan base that they honestly ran a thorough search and came away with Nagy as their best option. In a coaching pool that included Mike McCarthy, Robert Saleh, Kevin Stefanski, John Harbaugh, Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula, Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter, and Sean McDermott, Borgonzi's conclusion was that the guy who was most prepared to take this job just so happened to be his old buddy from his time in Kansas City. Even if by some stretch that is true, it will never convince Titans fans.
Zach Lyons has done a good job helping fans prepare for this potential outcome for months. However, just look back over that list of head coaching candidates that the Titans could have had, and it is impossible to tell anyone that they should feel more confident in Nagy than some of those alternative options.
Hiring Nagy would be a PR disaster for the Titans, and he would start his second (and likely final) stint as a head coach in a hole. This move would also crush any goodwill that optimistic Titans fans held for Borgonzi, and it could push this fan base to attempt to publicly shame owner Amy Adams Strunk until she fires the GM and head coach (again) if things go poorly.
Those are the stakes of this decision, so Borgonzi needs to be very careful to make sure that his friendship doesn't ruin his career, his friend's career, and the Titans' rebuilding process.