Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shut down rumors of him retiring after the Super Bowl during a press conference in Allegiant Stadium.
Reid is on his way to his fifth Super Bowl appearance as an NFL head coach in his 25th year in the league. As a result, many have wondered if a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday would be the 65-year-old’s swansong.
But when the subject of retirement was brought up to Reid ahead of this week’s big game, he alluded to a piece of advice that his parents gave him at a young age.
‘My mom and dad told me this when they were working,’ Reid responded. ‘They said, ‘You’ll know when it’s time,’ and I’m ready to go right now. Let’s go.
‘That’s what they would tell me when I was young. I was an inquisitive kid and so that’s the way I look [at it]. Somewhere you’re going to know when it’s time. Today’s not the day.’
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid shut down retirement rumors during a press conference
Reid and the Chiefs are on their way to their fourth Super Bowl appearance in the last five years
There’s been speculation Reid could retire after another Super Bowl with Travis Kelce and co
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt also claimed that there has been no indication the coach is preparing to call it quits after the Super Bowl.
‘I don’t have a sense for what he’s thinking,’ Hunt said. ‘I do know he’s really engaged and enjoying it and I have no sense that he’s going to be ready to retire in the near future. But in terms of how long it goes, I don’t know. Certainly I hope it’s a long time in the future, but we’ll just have to see as we go.’
When asked if the Chiefs front office is prepared in the event of Reid’s retirement, Hunt insisted that it is too early too tell, even with the season finale just days away.
‘I felt it’s too early to start worrying about that at this point,’ Hunt said. ‘It would definitely be premature.’
Reid’s comments come after Mike Florio of NBC said on the Zach Gelby show that the Chiefs have Reid’s potential departure ‘on their radar’.
There was also a report last month that Bill Belichick will take up the Chiefs job if Reid does decide to bring his coaching career to an end.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Sean McDonough admitted ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’ and admitted he wouldn’t be surprised if Reid did retire.
He told The Greg Hill Show on 93.7 WEEI Boston: ‘There was some talk about (the rumors), not a lot.
The Chiefs are coming off wins against the Dolphins, Bills and Ravens in the postseason
Reid’s first head coaching job in the NFL came with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2012
Reid lead the Chiefs to the title in 2020 and 2023 against the 49ers and Eagles, respectively
‘It certainly didn’t come across as imminent, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire, too. I trust Adam Schefter.
‘It wouldn’t surprise me if Andy is considering it; I mean, he’s definitely toward the end of his career.
‘I kinda believe in going out on top, so if he were to win and he was pondering it, I wonder if it might compel him to be more likely to retire and go out with a Super Bowl championship.
‘Whether Bill winds up there or not, wow, that would be a lot. I would guess that would not happen, but Schefty’s plugged in, that’s for sure. So, who knows.’
Reid’s coaching career spans back to 1982 when he served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater BYU. He then went on a string of offensive line coaching gigs in the NCAA with San Francisco State, Northern Arizona, UTEP and Missouri.
Reid entered the NFL in 1992 when he was hired by the Green Bay Packers to take charge of their offensive line and tight ends. Five years later, Green Bay would promote him as a quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach. Reid got his first taste of a title when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI in 1997.
A win on Sunday would make Kansas City the first repeat Super Bowl winners in 20 years
After getting his first head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles, a job that he kept from 1999-2012, Reid found himself in Kansas City.
Under his leadership, the Chiefs are now appearing in their fourth Super Bowl in the last five seasons. They have won two of those games, including last year’s Super Bowl LVII against the Eagles.
Reid won his first title with Kansas City in 2020 against the 49ers. On Sunday, they will meet San Francisco once more in a tussle for the Lombardi Trophy. A win in Las Vegas would make the Chiefs the first repeat Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004.
‘I love being part of the organization,’ Reid said. ‘It’s a great organization. And then we’ve won some games, but we’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to keep after this thing.’