Matt Nagy’s coaching career has always been one step behind that of Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson.

First, Nagy was — with the Philadelphia Eagles — an assistant to the quality control coach, who was Pederson. Then, when Pederson became Andy Reid’s quarterbacks coach, Nagy became a quality control coach. When Reid moved his operation to Kansas City and brought Pederson aboard as his offensive coordinator, Nagy became the quarterbacks coach. And when Pederson left to be the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Nagy replaced him as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator.

The shadowing didn’t stop there: Nagy followed in Pederson’s footsteps to become a head coach two years later with the Bears. But there’s one more thing Nagy wants to do that Pederson already did: Win a Super Bowl.

“We keep following this path here,” Nagy said. “So I told him at the owners meetings this past offseason that he got that Super Bowl. I’m trying to follow his lead here. He probably doesn’t want to hear that right now. But I’m trying to stick on that path.

“I have a ton of respect for him. It’s crazy to think that eight years ago we were together, when we first got our start working together, putting in lots of hours.”

Nagy said Pederson texted him Sunday night, after the Bears’ win over the Vikings allowed the Eagles to reach the playoffs, but didn’t reveal the contents of the message (was “thank you” involved? “Maybe,” Nagy smirked). But it’s clear these two coaches have an immense amount of respect for each other as they begin preparing to square off on Sunday.

“Doug and I were hip by hip for six years and I really think the world of him,” Nagy said.

“As good of a human being as you will find”

The Nagy connections with the Eagles don’t stop at Pederson. The Bears’ coach got to know Eagles quarterback Nick Foles well first in 2012 in Philadelphia, Foles’ first year in the league and the Reid regime’s last in that city. In 2016, the Chiefs brought in Foles — who was at a low point in his career and wasn’t sure if he wanted to still play football — and Nagy picked him up from the airport and brought him back to his home in the suburbs.

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Reuben Frank wrote about Foles’ relationship with Nagy, which included driving Nagy’s car during training camp in 2016 (Nagy said Foles returned the car in good shape, minus the seat back being adjusted for someone who’s 6-foot-6).

But their time together left a strong impression on Nagy, who said he considers Foles “as good of a human being as you will find.”

“You want to talk about people who do things the right way — he’s somebody who cares about others, somebody who just wants to play for the love of the game,” Nagy said. “… And I can still remember the day that Nick and I were in my car together when I picked him up from the airport. He came over to my house and was seeing my kids. And he was just living life a little bit – the things away from football. And we got him back up loving the game. And you see what he’s done last year and where he’s at now. So I have tons of respect for him.

“… What he did last year in Philadelphia was a special deal. He had a lot of guys around him. Great coaches. Special players. But you guys have heard me say this: I truly believe that good things happen to good people. And he’s the exact story of that last year.”