In the 13 seasons Andy Reid has been the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, he has employed four different offensive coordinators. Doug Pederson held the role from 2013–2015, Brad Childress was installed for the 2016 season, Matt Nagy followed for one year in 2017, Eric Bieniemy served from 2018–2022, and the past three years have seen Nagy reassume responsibility. There’s one constant over the years: each of these coordinators previously worked with or played for Reid in Philadelphia.
The implication here is clear: Andy Reid values continuity arguably more than anything else as a guiding principle for his regime. That’s important to recognize as the Chiefs begin their offseason quest to rebound from a 6–11 season. It’s been reported that sitting offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will move on from Kansas City whether or not he lands a head-coaching job. As we speak, he’s set for interviews with the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens.
This hiring cycle has produced a bevy of intriguing candidates to succeed Nagy, but I’ll caution against clamoring for the hottest names being thrown around the watercooler. Reid’s M.O. has historically been to hire within his own coaching tree, and I don’t expect that to change as he approaches his 68th birthday. We can certainly debate the merits of breaking tendency, but the likelihood is that he’ll stick to his script. With Bieniemy looking to ladder up from a position-coach role and Mike Kafka heading for unemployment in New York, a predictable move is forthcoming.
Andy Reid’s history is marked by continuity and predictability, and his next offensive coordinator hire is almost certain to follow that trend.
Fans are already floating names like former Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury and former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel for installation in Kansas City. McDaniel is an exciting option given the explosive offenses he’s helped create in Miami and San Francisco, but he’s an external candidate with no meaningful ties to Reid. The same is true for Kingsbury, though he’s a slightly more tenable option, having previously coached Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech.
There’s a world where such a candidate could be hired, but I think that only happens if Mahomes pulls the lever and demands the change. I believe he has that power, but doing so could swiftly bring an end to the marriage with his beloved head coach. Andy Reid won’t like ceding that kind of authority to his quarterback, and while it may not sever the relationship immediately, I can’t imagine Reid staying long after losing full control of his football team.
To the chagrin of the fan base, I don’t expect a sea change at this stage in Reid’s career. But if there’s a silver lining, I believe both Kafka and Bieniemy are better candidates than they appear at first blush. In Kafka’s case, he’s a well-regarded young coach on a head-coaching trajectory, and he’ll be motivated to be creative in reinventing this offense. The better the results, the more likely he positions himself as a prohibitive favorite to land a head-coaching job in a few years.
As for Bieniemy, he has the personality to serve as a mitigating force for a veteran head coach who can be stuck in his ways to the detriment of the offense. He has the coaching experience and the temperament to push back and demand a higher standard of excellence. Neither move is flashy, but both are far more likely than Reid breaking the trend and hiring a coach he’s never worked with.
More than a decade of evidence suggests that Reid won’t change his stripes now. I’m persuaded there won’t be a splash hire; he’ll prioritize a coach who already speaks his language. In fact, there might even be a wildcard, like a reunion with Pederson, in play. Continuity will continue to define Reid’s twilight era. And in fairness to the coach affectionately known as “Big Red,” it’s how he built this program in Kansas City, and it’s how he’ll close out his tenure.