Matt Nagy has been through quite a lot over the last 12 months. Last year, he was fired as head coach of the Chicago Bears following a 3-14 campaign in 2021. Now, he's game-planning for his first Super Bowl.
Nagy found his way back to the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2022 season -- the franchise he found success with as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator years ago. On Super Bowl Opening Night, Nagy was asked about his past life with the Bears, and if his former quarterback, Justin Fields, would ever find himself on the biggest stage in the NFL.
"Without a doubt," Nagy replied when asked if Fields will play in a Super Bowl, via NBC Sports. "You all saw it this year, what he can do. 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."
Fields is coming off of a career year in which he completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He made his biggest impact on the ground, however, as Fields rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns. The Ohio State product recorded the second-best rushing season for a quarterback in NFL history behind Lamar Jackson, and rushed for more yards than any quarterback in a single regular-season game with 178 yards against the Miami Dolphins in November.
While the Bears finished with the worst record in the NFL at 3-14, Fields did much to prove his worth as a prospective franchise quarterback. As the NFL world turned its attention to this rising star, Nagy couldn't help but do the same.
"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
