Chiefs coach Andy Reid has his fingerprints throughout the NFL. Here’s what we mean
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh walked to the 50-yard line Saturday night in Buffalo, his season officially over, and met Bills coach Sean McDermott for a handshake.
“Go win the whole thing,” Harbaugh told him.
There’s a history between the two NFL coaches, a common thread that prompted the genuine moment.
Andy Reid.
Harbaugh and McDermott are two of 10 coaches — a list that’s growing? — who sprung careers after coaching under Reid.
Some have won Super Bowls. Some have been named NFL Coach of the Year. And some are still vying for this year’s Super Bowl — which would require knocking off their former mentor along the way.
McDermott’s Bills will visit Arrowhead Stadium Sunday for the AFC Championship Game.
“These guys work their tail off, and they work all the areas of what you need to be a good football coach,” Reid said of his former assistants who have since earned NFL head coaching jobs. “You see guys go through this, and you see their players mature; you see them mature; and you go, ‘Heck, they deserve a job to have an opportunity to run their own building.’ And then you teach others how to do the same thing.
“I think it’s kind of a neat process as it works out over the years. I’m part of that process because of Mike Holmgren, so I’ve lived this, and it’s kind of a neat deal to be a part of.”
Indeed, Holmgren’s coaching tree is far-stretching. The former head coach for the Packers had staffs that included notable assistants like Reid, Jon Gruden and several others.
The Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells and Tom Landry trees stand as giants in the forest.
Ten former Bill Belichick assistants have become NFL bosses.
The Reid list also stands at 10. For now. Eric Bieniemy lurks in head coaching searches for the second straight year. Here’s a closer look at the tree sprouted beneath the Chiefs’ coach:
Todd Bowles
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles secondary coach and interim defensive coordinator (2012)
Head coach: New York Jets (2015-18)
Claim to fame: He followed Rex Ryan in New York and won 10 games in his first season there. But he was fired after the team finished 4-12 in 2018. As a coordinator and head coach, Bowles has led 10 defenses, and five have finished top-10 in points allowed.
Current job: Defensive coordinator for the Buccaneers
Brad Childress
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles quarterbacks (1999-2001), Eagles offensive coordinator (2002-05), Chiefs spread game analyst (2013-15), Chiefs co-offensive coordinator (2016), Chiefs assistant head coach (2017)
Head coach: Minnesota Vikings (2006-10)
Claim to fame: Childress finished 39-35 with the Vikings, including a 12-4 season in 2009 in which they came within a field goal of reaching the Super Bowl. His NFL coaching career began in 1985.
Current job: He retired last year, his final job assisting Matt Nagy, another Reid protege, in Chicago.
Leslie Frazier
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles defensive backs (1999-2002)
Head coach: Minnesota Vikings (2010-13)
Claim to fame: He won a Super Bowl as an assistant with the Colts in 2007 and then later replaced another former Reid assistant, Brad Childress, as the Vikings head coach. Despite a bust there, Frazier has resurfaced in coaching searches as he’s helped the Bills into the AFC title game.
Current job: Bills defensive coordinator
John Harbaugh
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles special teams coordinator (1999-2006), Eagles defensive backs (2007)
Head coach: Baltimore Ravens (2008-present)
Claim to fame: The most successful of the bunch. Harbaugh has led the Ravens to the playoffs nine times in 13 seasons and won the Super Bowl to cap the 2012 season, beating his brother Jim in the championship. He was named the NFL coach of the year last season.
Current job: Ravens head coach
Sean McDermott
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles scouting coordinator (1999-2000), Eagles assistant to head coach (2001), Eagles defensive quality control (2002-03), Eagles assistant defensive backs (2004-06), Eagles secondary (2007), Eagles linebackers (2008), Eagles defensive coordinator (2009-10)
Head coach: Buffalo Bills (2017-present)
Claim to fame: Nothing like the present. McDermott has led the resurgence in Buffalo and has the Bills marching into Kansas City this weekend for the AFC Championship Game. He’s 38-26 in four seasons.
Current job: Bills head coach
Matt Nagy
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles coaching intern (2008-09), Eagles coaches assistant (2010), Eagles offensive quality control (2011-12), Chiefs quarterbacks (2013-16), Chiefs offensive coordinator (2017)
Head coach: Chicago Bears (2018-present)
Claim to fame: Reid actually offered Nagy play-calling duties, a job he rarely relinquishes, at one point during his tenure with the Chiefs. In his first season with the Bears, Nagy went 12-4, but after back-to-back 8-8 seasons that have included no obvious improvement from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, some consider him lucky to get a fourth season.
Current job: Bears head coach
Doug Pederson
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles quality control (2009-10), Eagles quarterbacks (2011-12), Chiefs offensive coordinator (2013-15)
Head coach: Philadelphia Eagles (2016-20)
Claim to fame: The second coach on this list to win the big one. Pederson led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in the 2017 season, the franchise’s first championship. And not a bad way to win one, with quarterback Nick Foles besting Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Current job: Unemployed. For now. He was fired last month, but he shouldn’t stay on the market long.
Ron Rivera
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles linebackers (1999-2003)
Head coach: Carolina Panthers (2011-19), Washington (2020)
Claim to fame: Rivera overcame cancer this season and led Washington to the playoffs in his first season there. That’s after he won three playoff games with the Panthers, leading the team to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Broncos.
Current job: Washington head coach
Pat Shurmur
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles offensive line (1999-01), Eagles quarterbacks (2002-08)
Head coach: Cleveland Browns (2011-12), New York Giants (2018-19)
Claim to fame: He’s been given two opportunities, neither of which could be called a success. He is 19-46 combined in the stints in Cleveland and New York. He’s tasked now with getting the most out of former Mizzou and Lee’s Summit High School quarterback Drew Lock.
Current job: Broncos offensive coordinator
Steve Spagnuolo
Worked for Andy Reid: Eagles defensive assistant (1999-200), Eagles defensive backs (2001-03), Eagles linebackers (2004-06), Chiefs defensive coordinator (2019-20)
Head coach: St. Louis Rams (2009-11)
Claim to fame: The head coaching stint in St. Louis might have been a failure (10-38), but Spagnuolo has a pair of Super Bowl rings and played an integral part in each. His defense shut down the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, and he rejoined Reid in Kansas City and led the Chiefs’ defensive turnaround last season.
Current job: Chiefs defensive coordinator