The Chicago Bears introduced Matt Nagy as their next coach on Tuesday, but according to one report the coach was very nearly the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts instead.
So what caused Nagy to choose the Bears over the Colts? According to the report, the health of Andrew Luck had something to do with it, along with the notion that Chicago’s overall roster is set up better to compete than the one in Indianapolis.
Source tells me the Indianapolis Colts were all in on hiring Matt Nagy. Uncertainty on health of Andrew Luck vs Mitchell Trubisky + Nagy’s belief the Bears roster is much better made decision for him. “Pace landed him by convincing him sunny days are ahead for the Bears.”
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) January 9, 2018
Over in Indianapolis, the health of Luck is very much a concern. Though the Colts claim he’s going to be ready for training camp, that’s the same song and dance we heard last offseason, and we all know how that ended.
For his part, Nagy said on Tuesday during his introductory press conference that it wasn’t just about landing an opportunity to coach Mitch Trubisky.
Nagy says Trubisky a factor but not reason for accepting HC position: “This is a team game and everyone on this team is just as important as the quarterback, that was just a part.”
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 9, 2018
#HeadCoachNagy says the reason he was most excited to join Bears is the direction of the team: "You see it. You feel it. There’s a want there to be great."
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 9, 2018
The Bears do have some very intriguing pieces in place other than Trubisky that seem to suit Nagy to a T. I wrote a column on Monday detailing why the hire was a home run for Chicago due to some of those young, talented players, which you can read more about here.
Though he is inexperienced, Nagy is, in this scribe’s opinion, a tremendous hire that will spark a revival in the Windy City.