Matt Nagy has seen what it looks like in its early stages. And he has seen what a prolific quarterback-tight end duo looks like when it blossoms into something special.
The Giants offensive coordinator made sure to keep himself measured given the stature of his former stars, but the comparison is not far-fetched to him nor did he shy away from it, at least in its nascent form.
Nagy was the Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2017 when Patrick Mahomes was a rookie and Travis Kelce was in his fifth season, breaking out into a star. Mahomes was the backup to Alex Smith and only played one game, but his chemistry with Kelce was being formed behind the scenes in practice. After leaving to coach the Bears for four years, he returned to serve as the Chiefs offensive coordinator for the past four seasons — with Mahomes and Kelce having developed into an all-time pairing that will land both in the Hall of Fame. Nagy has had an up close look at their full arc.
Now, he oversees a Giants offense that features tight end Isaiah Likely as a focal point for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
