People think guys need to have a pure football background in order to have success in the NFL. This isn’t always the case. More than a few times men have entered the league with limited football experience and went on to have tremendous success. One can never underestimate the value of life experience because it may just come in handy at the most unexpected times. Matt Nagy might be living proof of that.
His football story went through Delaware University and then the Arena Football League before it finally petered out in 2007. At that point, he had to make a decision. Keep pursuing football or move on to another phase of life. He eventually decided to get into the real estate with help from a man named Larry Wisdom. Nagy educated himself on the business and was just about to enter the arena when he got a last-second reprieve from the Philadelphia Eagles who offered him a coaching internship.
He took it. The rest was history. A decade late he was named head coach of the Chicago Bears. What some people may not know is Nagy used that real estate background to good effect in helping GM Ryan Pace close one of the landmark trades in franchise history for superstar edge rusher Khalil Mack.
Matt Nagy helped Pace keep perspective on the final decision
It wasn’t a question of wanting Mack. That was obvious. He is one of the three best defensive players in professional football. The issue at hand for Pace was the price tag. Two 1st round picks, a 3rd round pick, and a 6th round pick. For a man who prefers to build his teams through the draft, this is a gigantic pill to swallow. He said this to Albert Breer of the MMQB before Nagy revealed how his real estate experience helped him put the entire move in perspective.
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“You turn around and you’re like, ‘man, this is a lot,’” Pace says. “But what was good about it was I never felt like I was doing it alone. Matt and I were connected at the hip on it, so we were making these decisions together. And since we’re both lockstepped on that, I think it gives you more confidence to pull the trigger.”
“It’s kind of like a foreclosure on a house,” Nagy says.” There’s like six buyers that want it. You got to have that balance of when you go up, and you gotta make your offer by Monday night, you gotta go all-in. If you really like the house, that’s your house, you got to go in knowing you’re not overpaying. But you better know that if you don’t get him, there’s no regrets.”
Nagy basically made sure Pace wanted Mack. Once that was clarified, then no price was too high. Players (houses) like that don’t become available often. If you want it, you have to jump in with both feet. Pace took that advice to heart and pulled the trigger. A few months later Mack was an All-Pro who delivered 12.5 sacks in 14 games, helping the Bears make the playoffs. He’s currently on track to the Hall of Fame.
There are no regrets.
