LAS VEGAS — Andy Reid, now a three-time Super Bowl champion after the Kansas City Chiefs‘ rollicking rally past the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, is peerless in his era.
He already was the league’s best active coach after Bill Belichick retired. But now that he has a third Lombardi Trophy — something just four other people have done — he’s rightfully in the conversation of GOAT.
Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid’s Legacy
His brilliant quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, thinks Sunday night’s triumph put him ahead of Belichick — and anyone else to ever do it.
“He’s one of the best coaches of all time,” he said here late Sunday. “I believe he’s the best coach of all time. I know he doesn’t have the trophies yet. I have a lot of respect for some of those great coaches.
“But the way he’s able to navigate every single team he has, continue to have success no matter where he’s at. And for me, he brings out the best of me because he lets me be me. I think that’s important because he doesn’t try to make me anyone else.
“I don’t think I’d be the quarterback that I am if I didn’t have coach Reid as my head coach.”
Reid still has just half the Super Bowl rings that Belichick has won.
And his 280 career wins (including postseason) are still 63 shy of Don Shula’s NFL record.
But until recently, he never had quarterbacks close to the caliber that played for Belichick and Shula.
And yet, he can do something next year that no coach has done before: win three straight Super Bowls and four out of five.
“This is a tough profession, which we all know, competitive,” he said. “I mean, the parity in this league is ridiculous. And so, to watch your guys work and focus and all that, I mean, you just appreciate — I think the older you get, you probably appreciate that also. I mean, I appreciate the first one because it took me a thousand years to get into a Super Bowl. At least being able to hold that Lombardi Trophy.
“I appreciate every day that I have to do this. I work for a great owner and ownership family. Between Mark Donovan, Veach, and myself, we’re lucky to be Kansas City Chiefs. And so, that part feels good. And then, we have a good locker room, and we have good coaches.”
And that locker room absolutely adores their head coach, who all but promised to keep coaching despite turning 65 next month.
“Yeah, I haven’t had time to think about it, but yeah, sure,” Reid said when asked about returning for a 26th season as head coach. “I get asked that. I’m mad at Belichick and Pete [Carroll] because now I get asked all of those questions.”
While the game seemed to pass by Belichick — and, to a lesser extent, Carroll — Reid is as innovative and relatable as ever. He laughed off Travis Kelce’s heated exchange/chest bump, chalking it up to productive passion.
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Kelce, who led all players Sunday with nine catches for 93 yards, had this to say about Reid:
“He’s unbelievable, and not only dialing up plays and having everybody prepared, but he’s one of the best leaders of men that I’ve ever seen in my life. And he’s helped me a lot with that, with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion. And I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get, and I just love him, man.”
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