The Chiefs are expected to hire Chad O’Shea as their next wide receivers coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
O’Shea, 53, held the same position on Kevin Stefanski‘s staff in Cleveland with the added title of passing game coordinator. He will succeed Connor Embree in Kansas City, where Andy Reid is shaking up his staff after the departure of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. The Chiefs have already made plans to rehire Eric Bieniemy to replace Nagy, and O’Shea will also be returning to the team, albeit after a longer time away.
O’Shea is entering his 30th year of coaching and his 23rd at the pro level. He got his NFL start with the Chiefs as a volunteer assistant in 2003, which quickly turned into an assistant special teams coach gig. O’Shea spent the next three years in Minnesota as an offensive assistant.
The Patriots then hired O’Shea as their wide receivers coach in 2008. He stayed in New England for 10 seasons, winning three Super Bowls along the way, before following Brian Flores to Miami as the Dolphins’ new offensive coordinator in 2019. O’Shea only lasted one year in a coordinator role and returned to coaching wide receivers, this time under Stefanski in Cleveland.
The Browns passing game in O’Shea’s tenure never ranked higher than 19th, though the team’s lack of consistent quarterback play deserves the lion’s share of the blame. However, Cleveland’s receiving corps did not make substantial progress under O’Shea. Their best receivers in the last six years have been Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy, who were both acquired via trade. O’Shea did well to integrate both into the Browns offense – and likely played a key role in Jeudy’s career-best 2024 – but the team’s homegrown wideouts have not grown into clear starting-caliber players.
In Kansas City, O’Shea will work Reid and Bieniemy to rebuild a Chiefs receiver room that only has Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy as clear long-term contributors. As a part of a stronger offense with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, he may be more successful than he was in Cleveland.