The Kansas City Chiefs franchise has changed completely since Andy Reid took over as head coach in 2013. The Chiefs went from bottom feeders in the AFC West (and the entire league) to winning the division eight straight years and winning two Super Bowls while appearing in a third. They haven't had a losing record since Reid came to town and missed out on the playoffs just once, which came in 2014.
The sad truth that Chiefs fans don't want to think about, however, is that Reid is turning 66 in March and he's undoubtedly closer to the end of his career than the beginning of it. Before the Chiefs' divisional round game against Buffalo, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said that the organization is considering a possible Reid retirement.
Reid himself put those rumors to bed by saying that he has no reason to stop coaching football.
BREAKING: #Chiefs future HOF coach Andy Reid will NOT be retiring after the season despite false reports from @ProFootballTalk
— Chris (@chiefs_outsider) January 20, 2024
“I have no reason to stop coaching football. I love it.”
We could put those rumors to rest. pic.twitter.com/OXraUbkZzX
CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson also said she'd be "very surprised" if Reid retired.
From my conversations with a lot of people close to Andy Reid and 2 years left on his contract I would be very surprised if Reid retired#Chiefs https://t.co/cN3wH1YOM5
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) January 25, 2024
That brings us to two big reasons why Reid won't be stepping away from the game this offseason.
Reid said so himself
This feels like an obvious place to start, right? If Reid himself said that he doesn't plan to stop coaching anytime soon, why are we doubting him? When speaking to the media, the topic of retirement came up and Reid said he's old but "not that old".
Maybe after this season, Reid has a sudden change of heart and decides he's done coaching. That could happen, of course, but the comments he made during the media session about how he has no reason to stop coaching don't scream retirement. Reid has shown that we can take him at his word and if he says he's not ready to be finished coaching, who are we to doubt him?
He has the best QB in the league
When Reid first got to Kansas City, Alex Smith was his quarterback and the two were able to do enough to get the Chiefs a winning record and typically earn a spot in the playoffs. Once Patrick Mahomes came to town, however, it was an entirely different ball game for Reid. He and Mahomes work tremendously together and Mahomes was finally able to get Reid and the Chiefs over the Super Bowl hump. Now they've won two titles together.
When speaking to The 33rd Team last summer, the topic of retirement once again came up and Reid brought up Patrick Mahomes as a reason for why he wants to keep coaching. The quote below is courtesy of Jordan Foote from Arrowhead Report.
""But I feel good, and he (Mahomes) does make it fun. He does make it fun, but there are other things that go into being a head coach that you have to look at, too. But listen, I enjoy doing what I'm doing and I think that's probably the most important thing. I like teaching and I like the group of kids I've got — Pat obviously being one of the big ones. And it's a great organization. I've been very fortunate to work for three great organizations, I've been very lucky that way.""Andy Reid
Mahomes is only 28 years old and already has two MVPs and two Super Bowl rings. Why would Reid want to step away from the game when he has the best quarterback in the league and could continue to stack up his legacy?
While I get the rumors surrounding Andy Reid potentially retiring, if he's said he doesn't see it happening after this year, that should be enough to put an end to the rumors.