There aren't many New York Giants fans who seem to be on board with the Matt Nagy hire, and frankly, it's hard to blame them. For all of the good choices John Harbaugh has made this offseason, entrusting a guy who failed with Patrick Mahomes to develop his franchise QB wasn't one of them.
For all of the people who hate the move, Giants legend Tiki Barber is fully on board. While on the air with WFAN earlier this week, Barber revealed that he's been looking at Nagy for Big Blue for months now, and doesn't seem to understand why the 47-year-old has been stuck in coaching puratory for years now.
Barber pointed to the fact that the Super Bowl-winning OC led the Bears to a 12-4 season in his first season as head coach, which he did with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. I'm not saying I'm totally sold, but given what we know about the rest of Trubisky's career, that's a major accomplishment.
Additionally, he also pointed to a player he thinks will benefit from the hire: and it's not Jaxson Dart. The Super Bowl champion revealed he thinks Nagy's scheme will help Theo Johnson take a massive step forward in Year 3 because of how Travis Kelce was utilized in the same system in Kansas City.
Tiki Barber thinks the Matt Nagy hire will be the best case scenario for Theo Johnson
Barber's praise comes with one slight (massive) hitch: Theo Johnson is not Travis Kelce. One is a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, while the other barely cracked 500 receiving yards this season. As it stands right now, Johnson couldn't even hold Kelce's jockstrap.
The Penn State product has developed a solid rapport with Dart, but it's nothing to phone home about. His 6-foot-6, 264-pound frame saw him turn into the perfect red zone threat, but was plagued by drop issues at times this year, yet will be a force to be reckoned with if he gets it together.
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The Giants will have both Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo back early next season, and when that happens, Johnson will be relegated right back to his complementary role in the offense. And there's a legit chance the G-Men even consider adding a veteran tight end into the mix to push him for snaps.
Johnson will only turn 25 this month, so he definitely has a bright future, even if it isn't as accomplished as Kelce's. It's an interesting reason for a franchise legend to support hiring Nagy, but it's one nonetheless, so let's see if this take gets him on Freezing Cold Takes this time next year.