The Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason rolls on with OTAs following on the schedule as players and coaches prepare for a rapidly approaching new season. Andy Reid is constantly working as usual but will occasionally step out publicly for an interview.
A revered and respected coach for 13 seasons in Philadelphia, the current Chiefs head coach has never been shy to relive his past glory. Reid was a guest on Sports Take with Derrick Gunn, Barrett Brooks & Rob Ellis to talk about his legacy with the Eagles and thoughts on the league’s evolution since leaving for Kansas City. The former NFL coach of the year addressed his evolution as a head coach over the years and the ever-changing future of the league with NIL in college football.
“No, not much,” Said Reid regarding any changes in coaching methods over the years. “I try to take care of the bigs the best I can. Both sides of the ball. I try to make make sure if we can have a good solid quarterback to have that in line. The corners, I think are important. So I’ve kept with that part of it. The way I treat the players, I think, is very similar. The media is different now, you know Barrett (Brooks) compared to when you were in the game and when I got in, so it’s you got to deal with that everything. Everybody’s a reporter now. I mean players included. So, everybody, everybody has a voice, and so that part’s a little bit different.”
Since the introduction of NIL deals last summer, offering student-athletes the ability to make money off their “name, image, and likeness,” the influx of more business-minded young players has affected the future landscape of the NFL. Players already making money in a college setting have more options in their progression to becoming a professional, pushing head coaches like Reid to consider different variables moving forward.
“We’re gonna have a new generation coming up here with kids that are in college that are making money now, and so that’s going to add another dimension to it,” Reid explained. “There’s no portal here. . . Once you’re in, I got you. Yeah, but it’s a little different, right? It’s, I mean, it’s a little different. But you got to just you got to keep that whole maturation process — this thing is never-ending — it’s always, you’ve got to keep growing. And once you get stuck in your ways, you probably need to exit.”
Reid is the only NFL head coach to win 100 games and appear in four consecutive conference championships with two different franchises. He’s destined for the Hall of Fame and has built a career that will be almost impossible to match.