If there was a recent offseason for Reid to consider calling it quits, this would be it.
The Kansas City Chiefs as the NFL knows them are no more. For now, at least.
But Andy Reid isn't calling it quits. The longtime Chiefs coach who's guided them to five Super Bowls and three championships shot down on Monday the notion that he'd consider retiring this offseason.
Reid was asked at his Monday news conference if he envisioned a scenario in which he would not coach Kansas City in 2026.
"I think I’m coming back," Reid said with a chuckle. "If they’ll have me back, I’ll come back. You never know in this business. But I plan on it."
Why would Andy Reid retire?
Had Reid responded otherwise, it would have come as a surprise. But if there was a recent offseason for Reid to consider calling it quits, this would be it.
Reid's done everything there is to do as an NFL head coach. He's steered one of the league's iconic dynasties and has placed himself on the short list of the most accomplished coaches in football history.
That dynasty is now at an inflection point. The Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time since Reid's second season as head coach in 2014 and for the first time since they drafted Patrick Mahomes. They'll finish the season with their first losing record under Reid.
The team's immediate future is in doubt. Mahomes is rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn ACL, and it's not clear when next season he'll be able to return. The most optimistic timeline could have him ready for the start of the season. He could also be in line to miss several weeks if not longer, placing a return to competitiveness in a tough AFC West in doubt.
And Travis Kelce might retire. Kelce's been one of the faces of the Chiefs dynasty alongside Mahomes and Reid and will have a decision this offseason on whether to retire at 36 years old. With Kelce potentially done, and Mahomes' immediate future unclear, now would certainly make a lot of sense for a 67-year coach with nothing left to accomplish in football to consider taking it easy.
But there's one big motivation for Reid to keep coaching. While the state of Mahomes' 2026 season is in doubt, there's little reason to think that he won't make a full recovery with years of high-level football ahead of him. He's 30 years old in a sport where quarterbacks at his level have played into their 40s.
And a future with Mahomes would be hard for any coach to walk away from.
Category: General Sports
