If there's something this round of head coach firings has taught us in the early going: no one is safe.
The Baltimore Ravens sent John Harbaugh packing on Tuesday, a shocking move that sends a message to even the most decorated and secure head coaches in the NFL. After 18 seasons, Harbaugh was shown the door after he reportedly was unwilling to fire his offensive coordinator, Todd Monken. Fans wanted a change. Ownership needed to shake things up. Harbaugh fell on his sword.
The NFL is a business, first and foremost (despite the tax exempt status the league enjoys but that's for another moment). Everyone knows this already, but clarity comes this time of year, when coaches are shown the door en masse—so much so that the term "Black Monday" has been created to describe the fallout.
Harbaugh was tied with Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin as the longest-tenured head coach in the league. On Tuesday, Harbaugh's embeddedness became a part of the argument to get rid of him. Mistakes were repeated. The team was in a rut. With the prime years of a franchise quarterback ticking away (that would be Lamar Jackson), Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti decided to hit the reset button.
John Harbaugh’s stunning exit is a reminder that Andy Reid’s long résumé doesn’t guarantee permanent safety in Kansas City.
This should all sound quite familiar to Chiefs fans at the present moment. This season, Andy Reid's detractors have come out of hiding. Instead of the occasional fan rants heard on sports radio or found on social media, a very critical mass (emphasis on critical) is ever-present to analyze the errors made by Reid, to judge the moves made (or not made).
All of this, in terms of Reid, is quite fair. It's part of the gig, first of all, as a head coach in the NFL. Criticism is part of the job of any leader. When that man sits in the captain's chair of a sunken ship, one that crashed against the rocks with an 6-11 final regular-season record after starting the year as Super Bowl favorites, the scorn is going to come.
Despite the fact that Reid is the second-most tenured head coach in the league at this point, having joined the Chiefs back in 2013, he is not immune. Every coach is under constant scrutiny in a league where the initials could stand for "Not For Long."
Of course, Reid himself knows this already. Reid has more than double the wins of any other head coach in Philadelphia Eagles history, but that didn't stop him from getting the axe back in 2012 after a four-win season that served as the final straw for an always-aggrieved fan base. Memories of Rich Kotite and Ray Rhodes weren't enough to keep Reid around, and the Eagles decided the shiny new product was a better choice. The Chip Kelly era was born.
Don't feel bad for Harbaugh. According to reports, the future Hall of Fame coach's phone has been ringing off the hook. Teams like the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns will be camped outside his door like an iPhone release, hoping to be first in line to talk to him. The Ravens waved goodbye, but 20 percent of the league appears ready to say hello.
Reid, by the way, is safe for now. He's likely okay even if 2026 somehow falls apart as well. A man earns at least some level of security with five Super Bowl appearances (and three rings) in the previous six years. But if things take another sour turn next year too, with Patrick Mahomes' prime slipping away, the fire under Reid's seat will be red hot. And in the NFL, it's really impossible to say with any certainty that anyone is okay.