While pondering future, John Harbaugh ‘really leaned’ on Chiefs coach Andy Reid
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- John Harbaugh consulted longtime friend Andy Reid while weighing his future.
- Harbaugh held frequent calls with Reid while weighing his future before the firing.
- Harbaugh is expected to join the Giants on a five-year, top-paid coaching deal.
John Harbaugh’s friendship with Chiefs coach Andy Reid goes back to 1999 when they were in Philadelphia.
Reid was hired as the Eagles’ head coach that year and kept Harbaugh on staff as special teams coordinator. The two remained close even after Harbaugh became the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach and Reid was fired by the Eagles ... and was soon after hired by the Chiefs.
As the Ravens struggled this past season, there were rumors that Harbaugh would be fired. That happened on Jan. 6, but before then Harbaugh had been in touch with Reid, seeking advice.
Harbaugh landed on his feet, as he is expected to be hired by the Giants. And the Athletic’s Dianna Russini revealed Harbaugh’s deal with New York will put him in the same financial stratosphere as Reid.
“We’re expected to see him be paid on a five-year deal, and most likely the highest-paid coach in football. If not, he’s up there,” Russini said on The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast. “He’s probably a little bit back and forth with Andy Reid.”
Russini was glad she brought up Reid’s name, because of how he has helped Harbaugh over the past few weeks.
The two friends apparently spoke frequently, even when Harbaugh’s Ravens were still alive for the AFC North Division title.
“Andy Reid was part of this, right?” Russini said on the podcast. “So John really leaned on Andy Reid during this process, even before (Ravens owner) Steve Bisciotti fired John Harbaugh, John had reached out to Andy to have some conversations about, ‘Should I step down’ if he wasn’t going to get fired? ‘What does next look like?’
“One, Andy Reid has always been a really good friend to John Harbaugh over the years, but of course, we all know what Andy did, which was, of course, leave Philadelphia despite a lot of success, and take his talents to Kansas City, where he had ultimate success and continues to.”
The Chiefs and Ravens have played seven times since 2018, so Reid and Harbaugh will be seeing much less of each other in the near future. But they’ll likely still stay in touch.
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 10:01 AM.
