Rumors about Andy Reid potentially retiring have floated around for a few years now. But according to one NFL insider, it’s very much a possibility this time around.
Speaking on “The Zach Gelb Show” on CBS, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports that the Kansas City Chiefs are actually bracing for the possibility of the legendary head coach walking away at the end of this year (h/t Jack Bezants of the Daily Mail):
“The one I’m watching is, when the Chiefs season ends, is Andy Reid going to retire? He has said he is not thinking about it and the smart aleck would say there is nothing to think about if he has said he is not going to do it. But I think there is reason to believe the Chiefs have the possibility on their radar screen. We will find out when the season ends.
Although I could say at some level, the closer they get to the Super Bowl, if guys start thinking maybe Andy Reid could walk away it gives them the little kick to let him walk out with a trophy. But we will see.
Ever since I caught wind of the possibility, that the Chiefs are bracing for the possibility of Reid leaving – not saying he will, but I think there is reason to believe the Chiefs have it on the radar screen – then (Patrick) Mahomes, there is only one and the Chiefs have him.”
Reid has nothing to prove at this stage of his career. He won his first Super Bowl as a head coach four years ago, and a second championship ring last year. He’ll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
But of course, Reid could find it difficult to walk away from the situation he’s in right now. He plays on a perennial Super Bowl contender, with the best player in the game (Patrick Mahomes), future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce and a championship-level defense.
Through Mahomes’ first five seasons as the Chiefs’ starting QB, the team played in five straight AFC Championship Games (all at home). They won three AFC banners and two Super Bowls in that period.
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Kansas City hasn’t had a losing season under Reid, and they’ve made the postseason every year since 2014. If Reid indeed decides to walk away after this season, the Chiefs will have the near-impossible task of replacing the best coach of his era not named Bill Belichick.
