After former Bears head coach Matt Nagy was fired last year, he found a soft landing within the Chiefs’ coaching staff as the club’s quarterbacks coach.
It’s a position he held before in the same organization under Andy Reid from 2013-2015. He was the team’s offensive coordinator from 2016-2017, too, before Chicago hired him.
Nagy’s tenure with Chicago didn’t work out, as he was fired after the Bears went 6-11 in 2021. But he took plenty from the experience, including a very positive impression of quarterback Justin Fields.
On Monday night, Nagy said Fields will “without a doubt” play in a Super Bowl at some point in his career.
“You all saw it this year, what he can do,” Nagy said, via Josh Schrock of NBCSportsChicago.com. “He’s going to continue to keep growing. However, you want to say it, whatever part of his game. To do what he did from his rookie year to this past year, it’s only going to get better from here.
“He’s wired the right way. I got to see him firsthand — how he studies, how he practices, his passion for the game. He hates to lose. He’s always been that way.”
Nagy added he kept tabs on Fields from afar in 2022 and continues to root for him.
“I absolutely paid attention to him, and I was so proud of the way he grew this year as a quarterback,” Nagy said. “A lot of credit to their coaches, what they did with him and the schemes they put around him, just the way that he took on to that. You watch him — again, we were a big part of drafting him and getting him to Chicago. We were all-in with Justin and unfortunately didn’t get an opportunity to see where he could get to.
“But again, that’s part of this process, part of the NFL. Those guys in Chicago, those coaches, have done a phenomenal job of working with him. He’s one hell of a player, he has a very bright future in Chicago. I’m proud of him. He’s a good kid, he cares immensely about the game, he’s passionate and he’s going to keep growing.”
Fields displayed just how dynamic he can be in 2022, recording 1,143 yards rushing with eight rushing touchdowns. As a passer, he completed 60.4 percent of his throws for 2,242 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.