Chiefs News 12/30: Matt Nagy is prepared for another head coaching job

Nagy knows now that if he becomes a head coach again, he will try to hire an assistant who will tell him when he’s off course, like he does with Reid. He didn’t have that in Chicago.

But he also knows he will be true to his convictions and not be swayed too much by too many.

His focus will be on leading. He won’t be a play caller.

In a game of wild emotional swings, Reid is as consistent as a heartbeat. Nagy will always be passionate, but if there is a next time around, he intends to have a more controlled demeanor like Reid.

The culture he hopes to foster will encourage players to feel loose and free in their assignments and not be sabotaged by details, as he now knows his Bears sometimes became.

A day after Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll said Smith suffered a high-ankle sprain, the coach said it’s not a high-ankle sprain. However, Carroll called it “significant” and said it will be difficult to for Smith to be able to play Sunday’s season finale, against the Kansas City Chiefs. Carroll did say that it may take a couple of days to find out more.

But with the Raiders sitting at 2-14 and poised to get the No. 1 overall draft pick with a loss, it’s very likely backup Kenny Pickett will play.

Smith was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34-10 home loss to the New York Giants. Thus, Smith may have played his final down with the Raiders. Of course, there is a real question if he will return next season.

“My fear is that it’ll be like the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis,” Tuohey tells FOS. “They did not tear that down. They tried to use it to host events, and it will just become another failed project that does not generate enough revenue to pay for itself.”

The Edward Jones Dome was the former home of the St. Louis Rams, before they moved to Los Angeles after the 2015 NFL season. Now called The Dome at America’s Center, it is publicly owned through the St. Louis Regional Sports Authority and is operated by the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Bureau. It still hosts events—legendary rock band AC/DC and country music star Zach Bryan are both scheduled to perform there in 2026—but it has struggled financially. In August, a state auditor report found that it is not prepared for the upkeep costs that will be required going forward; while it will need roughly $155 million in repairs and maintenance over the next decade, the St. Louis Regional Sports Authority only has about $88 million in cash—leaving a $67 million shortfall.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said quarterback Justin Herbert will not play in the team’s regular-season finale Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

With the Chargers’ 20-16 loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday putting them out of contention for the AFC West title, the move to rest Herbert for the playoffs is a logical one as the quarterback continues to recover from left hand surgery he underwent last month to repair a broken bone.

With Herbert resting, former third-overall pick Trey Lance will start against the Broncos at Mile High on Sunday, with DJ Uiagalelei serving as backup, Harbaugh said. The Chargers are battling to secure the No. 5 playoff seed in the AFC playoffs.

Feeling the most heat

Pete Carroll, Las Vegas Raiders

Record with team: 2-14, first season

Why he might get fired: Carroll was supposed to bring stability to the franchise, but it’s been more losing under the 74-year-old former Super Bowl winner. The Raiders haven’t won since Week 6, the offseason trade for Carroll’s preferred QB Geno Smith hasn’t yielded much, the offensive and special teams coordinators were both fired in November, and now there’s a dispute with Maxx Crosby over the star pass rusher being placed on injured reserve. None of this reflects well on Carroll, who may be in over his head trying to fix a franchise where the rot goes much deeper (and higher).

Why he might be safe: There was a reason Carroll was hired. He is almost 40 games over .500 for his NFL career, and that’s counting this season’s debacle. Also, Mark Davis has paid out a lot of money for failed coaches over the past few years and maybe he doesn’t want to shell out for Carroll too. Still, it’s hard to find a great reason to stick with Carroll, given hiss age and the Raiders’ need of an organization-wide reset.

While injured quarterback Patrick Mahomes is back in the building, he’s focused on coming back from his knee injury — rather than attending meetings or observing practices. He probably won’t fly to Las Vegas for the game, either.

Reid, however, will be there — and intends to be at all of next season’s games, too.

“I think I’m coming back,” he said of the possibility of returning in 2026. “If they’ll have me back, I’ll come back. You never know in this business, so that’s a tough [question]. But I plan on it.”