The Philadelphia Eagles made Andy Reid an unemployed man for the first time in 14 years on Dec. 31. But despite how Reid’s time with the Eagles ended, it was obvious he wouldn’t be looking for another job for long. At first, it looked like the Arizona Cardinals were a sure bet to hire him, but now the Kansas City Chiefs are allegedly a step away from bringing him onboard.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter on Jan. 4, Reid has already canceled his forthcoming interview with the Cardinals. This seems to be the clearest sign that Kansas City will hire him, and possibly get a deal done by the end of today.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t long ago that sources said Reid was a sure bet to join the Cardinals. In fact, sources told Schefter back on Jan. 2 that Reid was “95 percent” certain to sign with Arizona. If things could turn around this suddenly in just two days, there’s no guarantee they won’t again.
Yet this time, Schefter alleges that a Cardinals official told him Reid was “out with us” and had already been informed that a deal with the Chiefs was certain. What’s more, Kansas City hasn’t talked to any other candidates, so they would be back to square one if negotiations break down.
At this point, the only debate is how long and expensive Reid’s contract will be, and whether he will also take over Kansas City’s front office. The Chiefs have a general manager in Scott Pioli, but Schefter’s sources claim it is “highly unlikely” he and Reid will work together. Given that the Chiefs have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and need a massive overhaul, Reid would probably want to hit the ground running with total autonomy.
When he took over for the Eagles in 1999, they had come off a 3-13 season and had the No. 2 pick in the draft. But once Reid made his then-controversial selection of Donovan McNabb, he took only two years to get Philadelphia into the playoffs. There may not be a McNabb-like prospect available in this year’s draft that would provide such a quick fix, yet Reid would have his pick of the litter.
Today, the Eagles are ready to start wooing Chip Kelly as Reid’s replacement. But ironically, Reid could have his coaching future for 2013 set in stone first.
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