Chicago Bears: 5 hot takes on Justin Fields, Matt Nagy, and more
By Evan Bruner
Chicago Bears Hot Take: Matt Nagy will be fired before the end of the season
Matt Nagy has been heavily scrutinized by both fans and the media for the last couple of years, and many have speculated that his days in Chicago might be numbered.
Will Matt Nagy be fired before the end of the season?
I wouldn’t say this is completely out of the realm of possibilities, but we likely won’t have much of an idea of Nagy’s job security until we see Justin Fields start. How Andy Dalton looks in the Bears offense isn’t what the front office cares about the most. So although these first few weeks might be pretty frustrating for fans, they probably won’t influence whether or not Nagy stays at the helm long-term.
For what it’s worth, I thought Nagy called an okay game in Week 1. Besides the aggressiveness on fourth down, it’s hard to pin any of the Bears’ mistakes on Nagy directly. I liked his use of Montgomery, and the offense was able to move the ball pretty well. We can revisit this take in a few weeks if Justin Fields struggles to find his groove with Nagy’s scheme, but until then, I don’t think this is even a conversation worth having.
The Bears have stuck with Nagy this far; they might as well let him have a shot with Fields. Nagy is definitely on the hot seat and will have to do a lot to show the Bears he is deserving as an extension, but the truth is, nothing I saw this past week leads me to think he wouldn’t at least finish off the season.
The key to Matt Nagy keeping his job through the season is the locker room
The only way I could see Nagy getting fired before this season’s end would be if he lost the locker room. If the Bears season goes downhill, it will really test Nagy’s hold on his players. The fact the Bears were able to win three of their final four games last season after losing six in a row to grab a playoff spot says a lot about the team’s culture. But every team has a breaking point and if Nagy reaches that and is unable to get back his guys, then the Bears may be left with no choice but to fire him.
Bottom line
It’s too soon to know if Nagy is really in danger of losing his job before the year’s end. This is probably a discussion we will have to revisit once Fields is named the starter. Still, not very many coaches get fired midseason. Even coaches who were utter disasters like Adam Gase and Freddie Kitchens weren’t fired until after the season was over.