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Former Lancaster County star QB Matt Nagy has been fired by the Bears

The Manheim Central star went 34-31 and had two playoff appearances in four seasons as head coach in Chicago. The Bears went 6-11 this year.

CHICAGO — The Monday after the final week of the regular season in the National Football League is informally referred to as Black Monday -- the day most of the league's head coaches who did not lead their teams to the playoffs learn if they've been let go.

Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy is one of the unfortunate few. The former star quarterback at Manheim Central High School in Lancaster County was fired by the Bears this morning, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Chicago also fired general manager Ryan Pace, according to numerous reports.

Nagy went 34-31 and led the Bears to two playoff appearances in his four seasons at the helm, but a 6-11 campaign this season after consecutive 8-8 campaigns in the previous two years sealed his fate.

The Bears dropped a 31-17 decision to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday in what proved to be Nagy's final game on the sidelines.

Ironically, the Vikings are also in the market for a new head coach today after firing Mike Zimmer, their coach for the last eight seasons. The team fired Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman Monday after missing the playoffs for two straight seasons. Zimmer went 74-59-1 during his time in Minnesota, leading the Vikings to three playoff appearances. 

Minnesota's deepest playoff run under Zimmer came in 2017, when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Also on Monday, the Miami Dolphins announced they are firing coach Brian Flores after three seasons. Flores went 24-25 in Miami, which did not make the playoffs during his tenure.

On Saturday, the Denver Broncos announced the firing of coach Vic Fangio, who went 19-30 in his three years on the job. Denver has gone five straight years without a playoff berth and has finished last in the AFC West in its last two seasons.

Nagy had some initial success in Chicago, leading the Bears to a 12-4 record and a NFC North Division title in his first season. Nagy was named NFL Coach of the Year. 

But the Bears fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in the infamous "Double-Doink" game in the NFC Wild-Card round of the playoffs. Chicago's potential game-winning field goal as time expired hit the goal post twice before falling to the ground no good, allowing the Eagles to escape with a 16-15 victory.

The Bears made the playoffs again in 2020 after an 8-8 campaign, but lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild-Card round. 

In this past season, Bears fans became frustrated with Nagy's reluctance to name Justin Fields as the permanent starting quarterback, preferring to stick with veteran Andy Dalton at the beginning of the year. When Fields eventually did take over the starting job, the Bears went 2-10. 

Before joining the Bears, Nagy, 43, spent eight seasons as an assistant coach under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City. He was promoted to KC's offensive coordinator in 2017, a year before being hired in Chicago.

Nagy was a former standout quarterback at Manheim Central, leading the Barons to a pair of District 3 championships and back-to-back appearances in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals, where they lost to perennial powerhouse Berwick in consecutive seasons.

He graduated from Manheim Central in 1996 after passing for more than 3,500 yards and leading the Barons to a 26-2 record as a starter.

Nagy played college football at the University of Delaware, where he racked up 8,214 passing yards and 58 touchdown passes in his two years as a starter. 

Before moving into coaching, Nagy spent six seasons playing in the Arena Football League for the New York Dragons, Carolina Cobras, Georgia Force, and the Columbus Destroyers.

He began his professional coaching career in 2008 with an internship under Reid with the Eagles before returning to the high school ranks to spend one season as the head coach at Palmyra. 

Nagy was hired as a full-time assistant for the Eagles in 2010 and continued coaching under Reid until he was hired in Chicago.

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