SAN JOSE — John Harbaugh certainly has a type when it comes to his offensive coordinator.
He hires guys with experience, a proven track record as a play-caller and, most often, someone who could display “NFL head coach” on his résumé.
That trend developed through 18 years with the Ravens and continued Tuesday with a key hire for Harbaugh for his first Giants coaching staff. He decided on Matt Nagy, The Post confirmed, entrusting him to run the offense and continue the development of quarterback Jaxson Dart entering his second season.
Harbaugh now has all three of his coordinators, as he previously hired Dennard Wilson to run the defense and brought Chris Horton from Baltimore to run the special teams. With Nagy on board, the other key spots on the offensive staff — quarterbacks coach and offensive line coach — can be addressed.
Nagy, 47, was a finalist for the Titans head coach position during this cycle, a job that went to former Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
Nagy’s name was not directly linked to the Giants from the outside during the search. He was with the Chiefs the past four years, the last three as offensive coordinator, a non-play-calling role working for Andy Reid. Nagy’s contract expired and Reid brought back Eric Bieniemy to Kansas City as offensive coordinator.
Matt Nagy (c.) with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15). Getty Images
The Chiefs offense regressed the past two seasons, as age (tight end Travis Kelce), and injuries to Patrick Mahomes led to a downturn.
Harbaugh has never before worked with Nagy but they have a shared background as part of the Reid coaching tree. Harbaugh’s last year with the Eagles was 2007 and Nagy arrived in Philadelphia in 2008.
Nagy is unquestionably a branch off the Reid coaching tree.
He rose to prominence in his first stint with the Chiefs (2013-17) and that vaulted his profile and landed him the Bears head coach job. He was an instant hit. The Bears went 12-4 to win the NFC North, with Nagy turning second-year QB Mitchell Trubisky into a winning quarterback.
Nagy was named NFL Coach of the Year. Harbaugh in 2019 gained that honor for the first and only time in his 18 years with the Ravens.
Sustained success with Trubisky was not possible.
The Bears went 8-8 in 2019, made the playoffs at 8-8 in 2020 and Nagy was fired after the Bears went 6-11 in 2021.
With the Bears, Nagy called the plays on offense for the majority of his four years in Chicago. He was known for designing creative plays with exotic names such as “Lollipop” and “Santa’s Sleigh” and “Freezer Left” and “Oompa Loompa.”
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In June of 2019, Nagy gave the commencement address at Delaware, his alma mater, and joked that he was naming a new play “Ass-Kickin’ Chicken” in honor of the school’s Blue Hens nickname.
After his time with the Bears, Nagy returned to the Chiefs and won two Super Bowls as offensive coordinator.
This hiring is true to Harbaugh’s history. In Baltimore, he hired five offensive coordinators that arrived with NFL head coaching experience: Cam Cameron, Jim Caldwell, Gary Kubiak, Marc Trestman and Marty Morningweg. He also hired Todd Monken, who had been a college head coach at Southern Mississippi.
Harbaugh wanted Monken to accompany him to the Giants but Monken was hired, in a surprise, as the Browns head coach.
Nagy was a quarterback at Delaware who made an assortment of professional stops, starting in 2002 with the New York Dragons in the Arena Football League and ending in 2009 on the Eagles practice squad.
He is a proponent of the West Coast offense and prefers his quarterbacks to be mobile and move in the pocket, which should fit well with Dart’s skill set. Harbaugh spoke with Kliff Kingsbury, Brian Callahan — both former NFL head coaches — Jim Bob Cooter, Shane Day, Robert Prince, Davis Webb and Alex Tanney for the offensive coordinator role before landing on Nagy.