Pay the man.
That’s a real theme of what might happen next for Andy Reid, not whether or not he’ll walk off into the sunset.
Reid just won his third Super Bowl – tied with Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs for third all-time, eclipsed only by Bill Belichick (6) and Chuck Noll (4) – but ranks as the third-highest paid coach in his own division.
The Kansas City Chiefs coach earns about $12 million per year, per multiple reports, leaving him in the dust when compared to two AFC West counterparts. Sean Payton is believed to be the NFL’s highest-paid coach, with multiple outlets putting him at roughly $18 million per year when he joined the Denver Broncos in 2023. Jim Harbaugh, meanwhile, landed a $16 million-per-year package with the Los Angeles Chargers last month, per reports, when he bolted from the University of Michigan after winning a college national championship.
By those comps, Reid has clearly out-performed his contract in guiding the Chiefs to the first repeat Super Bowl crown in 19 years and capturing a third NFL title in five years. He has two years remaining on his current contract.
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Yes, as Reid confirmed (again) on Monday, he’s coming back.
It’s your move, Clark Hunt. The Chiefs owner, whose franchise had not won a Super Bowl in 50 years before this dynasty run, should tear up Reid’s existing contract and give him a hefty raise that shows some more appreciation for the championship glory.
Reid, 65, can thank Payton and Harbaugh for pacing the market. And of course, he can tip his cap to Patrick Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl MVP who brings Reid’s creative schemes to life.
Hunt foots the bill for the massive contract that ties up Mahomes, with the team last fall restructuring the 10-year, $450 million deal the signal-caller signed in 2020. The Chiefs will also have to pay a pretty penny to keep All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed from leaving as free agents this offseason.
Yet that’s the cost of doing business in a powerhouse league where revenues continually increase and are believed to be in the neighborhood of $20 billion per year. The Chiefs get a benefit by playing in taxpayer-supported Arrowhead Stadium as the value of the franchise is expected to keep rising, bolstered by another Super Bowl victory. In 2023, Forbes estimated the franchise’s worth at $4.3 billion, its value more than doubling in five years.
With Reid being such an integral part of the Chiefs operation, it’s hard to believe that he won’t land a new contract. His value was demonstrated again on Sunday as he outcoached San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan ($14 million) to cap what was likely his best job yet over the course of a season. And it was striking to hear some Chiefs players talk of being prepared for nuances of the NFL’s new overtime rules for the playoffs, covering the topic as far back as training camp. By the same token, several 49ers maintained that they were unaware of the new overtime rules.
While the Chiefs are at it, they should also invest in upgrading the facilities at their headquarters and in other areas of their operation. The team ranked 29th in the league in a report card released in 2023 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) that was based on a player survey. The team tied for 22nd for its weight room (with outdated training equipment cited as an issue), tied for 24th for its training room and tied for 28th for its locker room. The team was given an ‘F’ for its travel. And separate from the NFLPA survey, some regard the practice bubble as below NFL standards.
Then again, the questions about the facilities makes the case for a raise even stronger for Reid.
After all, he’s not planning on leaving anytime soon. Why would he? He has the NFL’s best quarterback in Mahomes.
He knows. With Belichick (who, according to Sportico, had a $25 million-per-year contract before parting ways with the New England Patriots) and Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll gone, people wonder if he’s close to retiring. Reid is now the NFL’s oldest coach, turning 66 in March.
‘Honestly, I haven’t even thought about (retiring),’ Reid said on Monday. ‘But people keep asking me and I keep saying, ‘Why didn’t (Bill) Belichick and Pete (Carroll) retire?’ Ask those old guys those questions. But I’m the old guy now, so I guess I’m going to be asked that. And I really haven’t gone there.’
Now is not the time to talk retirement. But it’s a perfect time for Reid to get a championship reward.
