Andy Reid Announces Decision on Leaving Chiefs & Sends Strong Contract Demand to Kansas City Front Office
When empires crumble, the architects rarely walk away. But as Andy Reid faces the reality of his first losing season as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, that question has loomed large. Is this the year Big Red walks away from the headset after the final game of the season is done? And in his latest online media availability, he seems to have answered that question once and for all.
“I think I’m coming back, right?” Reid said with a little chuckle on Monday, December 29. “If they’ll have me back, I’ll come back. You never know in this business. That’s a tough one. But I plan on it, yeah.”
The thing is, Reid’s phrasing doesn’t seem accidental. He wants back. But the ball’s in the front office’s court now. Reid’s locked in through 2029 after inking an extension in 2024 following his third Super Bowl win. That contract made him the NFL’s highest-paid coach. But paper means nothing when a franchise icon presides over the worst season of his tenure.
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The cracks had been building all season, but the collapse didn’t come until Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL, ending his season early. The Chiefs got knocked out of the playoffs with a 16-13 loss and a diagnosis that gutted the Chiefs Kingdom.
The calls for Reid’s firing erupted immediately. A city that had seen seven straight AFC Championships and hoisted three Lombardi’s under Reid suddenly wanted a change. A man whose 28 playoff victories record trailed only Bill Belichick’s was suddenly looking at irrelevance in December. Reid had built an expectation for greatness, but that quickly turned against him when the results vanished.
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But let’s face it. Andy Reid transformed Kansas City from an afterthought to a dynasty. He delivered the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. But that “if they’ll have be back” comment now hangs in the air. GM Brett Veach could, theoretically, part ways with Reid despite his contract. Coaches have been bought out for less.
But can Kansas City afford to find out what happens without Big Red at the helm? He has made his wish clear, and his legacy should buy patience. But what’s the vibe in the building around this?
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Andy Reid and the Chiefs’ future
Andy Reid wants to stay, and the ownership also seems all-in with that idea. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt had recently defended both his quarterback and coach on the Defending the Kingdom podcast.
“I would never bet against Coach Reid and Patrick Mahomes,” Hunt had noted. “As we look forward from an optimistic standpoint, we’ve got great leaders. That starts with Coach Reid.”
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Hunt also spoke highly of Brett Veach’s decisions every year with the drafts and free agencies and also bet strongly on Patrick Mahomes returning for Week 1 of the 2026 season. Hunt’s public support for Andy Reid and Co. signals patience over panic. And that seems to be the general sentiment in the building as well.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport made the case that the Chiefs want him to stay. “For the first time in years, he’ll finally have a full offseason to recharge,” the insiders noted. “As one person close to him said: ‘Coach Reid ain’t going out like this.’ Another said simply: ‘He’ll be back.’”
So the Chiefs view this season as a catastrophic circumstance, not a systemic failure. Mahomes’ injury may have catalysed everything. Veach, extended through 2029 alongside Reid, built his entire tenure around the Reid-Mahomes partnership. Breaking that up after just one injury-plagued season? That contradicts everything KC preaches. All the while, Mahomes is attacking his recovery like you’d expect. Andy Reid has shared a major update in that regard as well.
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“He’s in the building and working, doing his rehab,” Reid said in his presser. “He’s spent a lot of hours doing it. He’s really attacked that.”
Coach Reid also confirmed that the quarterback may not be travelling for the Week 18 season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders.
As for the future, it doesn’t look like Kansas City will blow it up. Reid’s staying because walking away from a three-time Super Bowl champion over one cursed season won’t do him justice. The Chiefs are betting the future of their dynasty on continuity. They’ll find out next season if this faith survives the storm.
