John Harbaugh’s search for an offensive coordinator is finally over, but what does the
New York Giants Matt Nagy signing mean for quarterback Jaxson Dart and the offense?
Nagy had multiple stints as an offensive coordinator with the Chiefs and a four-year stint
as the head coach for the Chicago Bears, so his leadership experience will be a huge
bonus for Harbaugh.
His success in Kansas City gives hope to the Giants fan base, though Dart is not
exactly Patrick Mahomes on any level. In 2022, as the quarterback’s coach with Kansas
City, Nagy coached the league MVP, but it was Eric Bieniemy calling the plays. During
his three seasons as the offensive coordinator, following the departure of Bieniemy,
Nagy never got Mahomes to put up the same numbers he did in 2022.
The First Stint In Kansas City
To those outside the 816 area code, Mahomes has not always been the quarterback of
the Chiefs, nor has he been Nagy’s quarterback on the Chiefs. From 2013 until 2016, as
the quarterback coach (and 2017 as the offensive coordinator), it was Alex Smith
slinging the ball from behind center.
Smith had some of the best years of his career under Nagy, completing 65.1% of his
passes for 232 yards per game, and sporting a 3:1 touchdown to interception ratio.
Mahomes played one game in the 2017 season, and after that, Nagy was on his way to
the Windy City.
Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky
The Bears had traded up in the 2017 NFL Draft to select Trubisky second overall.
Mahomes went 10th overall, and Deshaun Watson two picks later. Nagy didn’t make the
pick; he just inherited the mess and did the best he could with it. He managed a 12-4
record in his first season with the Bears, and Trubisky played OK. 66.6% completion for
230 yards per game and a 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio.
That would be the best season that Trubisky had, though, and by the end of his tenure
in Chicago (2021), Nagy was trying to get the most out of rookie quarterback Justin
Fields, which wasn’t much. Between Fields and backup Andy Dalton, the Bears’
quarterbacks completed just 60% of their passes and threw more interceptions (19)
than touchdowns (15). Nagy went back to Kansas City as a quarterbacks coach.
Chiefs 2.0 And The Giants Matt Nagy
Nagy had to play second fiddle to Bieniemy that first season in 2022, but for the last
three seasons, he has been Andy Reid’s offensive play-caller. Mahomes, under Nagy,
has completed 66.3% of his passes for 269 yards per game, and had a 2.5 to 1
touchdown to interception ratio.
Nagy now heads to the city that never sleeps and gets a young quarterback who
showed promise in 2025. Dart needs some work on his accuracy, but for the most part,
the team had him playing it safe all of last season. Nagy will open up the playbook and
see what this kid can do.
If history is any indicator, Dart is about to see an uptick in his completion percentage,
yards per game, and touchdowns. Giants fans have to be excited at that prospect.
