Hot Take: Matt Nagy Is the Best Option Left — And Eagles Fans Need to Accept It

"I would hire Matt Nagy yesterday." That was John McMullen's unequivocal statement on Tuesday's Birds 365. And before the collective groan from Eagles Twitter reaches full volume, hear the case out.

The Reid Endorsement

On Monday, Andy Reid publicly pumped up Nagy in Kansas City, explaining that Nagy had informed him before the 2025 season that he planned to let his contract expire to pursue a play-calling or head coaching opportunity. Reid was propping Nagy up not just for coordinator jobs — for head coaching consideration. McMullen, who has covered the Eagles' coaching pipeline for years, recognized a familiar pattern: the Eagles reaching out to Reid for guidance when their search stalls.

Why the Hate Is Overblown

McMullen posed a question that's hard to answer: What's the difference between Matt Nagy and the Arthur Smiths, Bobby Slowiks, and Zach Robinsons of the world? Nagy has head coaching experience, play-calling experience, and years under Andy Reid's coaching tree. He was coach of the year in Chicago. Yes, things went south with the Bears, but McMullen noted that Nagy operating under the shine of Sean McVay's coaching tree would have guaranteed him another head coaching job by now.

"He's a little over-hated for whatever reason," McMullen said. "It is a little bizarre." The NFL falls in love with certain names and falls out of love with others based more on narrative than performance. Nagy's biggest crime was coaching in Chicago with a declining roster and a quarterback (Mitchell Trubisky) who wasn't the answer.

The Box-Checking Reality

After firing Kevin Patullo over inexperience and lack of play-calling reps, the Eagles can't credibly turn around and hire a 29-year-old like Declan Doyle or a college coordinator like Charlie Weiss Jr. The optics don't work and neither does the logic. Nagy checks the boxes that the Eagles' own stated criteria demand: experience, play-calling ability, and a proven track record at the NFL level.

McMullen reminded listeners that the Eagles settled for Doug Pederson over Adam Gase and Ben McAdoo. They settled for Nick Sirianni. Both worked out better than the original targets. "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good," McMullen said. Matt Nagy might not be the exciting pick. But exciting doesn't win games — and the Eagles' track record of landing on their second or third choice has been remarkably good.

If Dable doesn't come, Nagy is the move. It's time to stop waiting and start coaching.

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