Why the Chiefs need to give Andy Reid a contract extension now
By Matt Conner
The Chiefs have created one such oasis. This will be the fifth year of Andy Reid’s coaching tenure in Kansas City. This will also be the fifth year of success. Three playoff appearances in four seasons. An AFC West title in a year when the AFC West was undoubtedly the toughest division in the NFL, top to bottom. In doing so, the Chiefs ran the table, going 6-0 against the division. Under Reid, the Chiefs have their first playoff win in 22 years and earned a first round bye this season.
With Andy Reid at the helm, the playoffs are an assumption. Reid has reached at least 11 wins in three of the last four seasons. You’d have to rewind 18 seasons to find the last three 11-win seasons before Reid’s arrival. Eighteen. The coaches who have come and gone since then: Marty Schottenheimer, Dick Vermeil, Herm Edwards, Todd Haley, Romeo Crennel.
Given the way the roster is currently positioned, there’s no reason to think the Chiefs will stop winning anytime soon. Not only does Dorsey do a brilliant job of bringing in new talent, but the coaches on Reid’s staff have proven their excellence at coaching up these players to be pro-ready. Marcus Peters has reached his potential after several teams thought the task of doing so would be too difficult. Chris Jones doesn’t display flashes of greatness. He even reaches it by the second half of the season. Injured players give way to free agents who somehow find a way to excel in Kansas City when they couldn’t latch on elsewhere.
Even more, players want to play for Andy Reid. At the NFL Combine, several of the draft’s top quarterbacks mentioned their appreciation for Andy Reid and how they’d want to play for him. Free agents clearly want the same. The Chiefs have never had an issue bringing in the guy they want: from Sean Smith to Jeremy Maclin to Mitchell Schwartz. Not every franchise can say this.
While other teams are riding the coaching carousel or even switching cities, the Kansas City Chiefs have created the rarest of places in the NFL: a real, stable franchise built on predictable success and excellence at all levels. It’s easy to take these things for granted when winning becomes normalized, but a quick glance around the NFL shows just how fragile these things can become. Clark Hunt can keep things this way with a single sheet of paper.
Give Andy Reid what he deserves. By doing so, you’re giving this fan base what they deserve as well.