Andy Reid’s second Super Bowl win cements him among NFL coaching greats

BY MIKE JONES • FEB. 13, 2023

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The place in history and entrance into the exclusive club hadn’t crossed Andy Reid’s mind.

It’s not that the 64-year-old, wrapping up his 31st NFL coaching season and 24th as a head coach, doesn’t possess a strong appreciation for tradition or what others before him have accomplished. Quite the contrary.

It’s just that Reid had been so present during his Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for another Super Bowl victory, he hadn’t reflected on his legacy.

So, when asked after the confetti settled from Kansas City’s 38-35 Super Bowl LVII victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium about the significance of hoisting a second career Lombardi Trophy and becoming only the 14th head coach in NFL history to do so, Reid struggled for words.

“I’m honored to be in — whatever. I don’t even know that stuff,” Reid said with a shrug and dismissive wave of the hand. “But, I’m honored to be in that. I’m very fortunate. I’ve had a lot of great players and coaches that have helped me get to that spot.

“I respect the game, though, and respect all those guys and the jobs they’ve done. If I’m mentioned with them, man,

I’d have to think about that for a while.”

Those guys would be Bill Belichick, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, Vince Lombardi, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan, Tom Coughlin, Bill Parcells, Tom Landry and Don Shula.

So, whether he realizes it or not, Reid — who has now won two Super Bowls in the last four seasons and his second in four appearances (2004, 2019, 2020 and now Sunday) — certainly has fully earned his seat at that table of greats.

“He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time,” said quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who won Super Bowl MVP for the second time in his career, this time after recording three touchdown passes and leading the Chiefs back from a 24-14 halftime deficit.

“I think everybody knew that,” Mahomes said of Reid’s reputation, “but these last two Super Bowls kind of cemented that. To have someone that is such a great person, who gets the best out of the players to become men and players, you wanted to do that. You wanted to win those Super Bowls for him, and it’s great that we did that.”

But gaining that seat at the table has never fueled Reid. He has always coached because of a love for the game and its challenges. He also coaches because he loves teaching and positioning players for success. Those pure and humble intentions are probably why Reid has had so much success with two franchises (which happened to meet in Sunday’s Super Bowl). And that love of the game and the process is probably why Reid can’t see himself hanging up his whistle anytime soon. He’s having too much fun.

Mahomes is right, though.

Already regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the history of the game, Reid didn’t need another Lombardi Trophy to define his legacy. But the Chiefs’ return to the Super Bowl and second victory there in four seasons and how they pulled off that feat only further exemplified Reid’s greatness.

Of all of his coaching jobs, this one may go down as his best, and certainly one of his most challenging. After the Chiefs’ failed quest for a repeat in Super Bowl LV, where they fell 31-9 to Tampa Bay, they then lost in overtime the next year in the AFC Championship Game to Cincinnati. Reid knew his team had to make significant changes, but not a complete tear-down.

So this offseason, Reid and general manager Brett Veach got to work.

Although Mahomes remained the centerpiece, Reid essentially reimagined the Kansas City offense — trading the explosiveness offered by elite speedster Tyreek Hill (whom the Chiefs shipped to Miami for five draft picks and salary cap relief) for an improved offensive line and greater overall versatility and depth at the skill positions.

This Chiefs team may have lacked the Hill home-run threat of years past. But it did still have the game-changing talents of tight end Travis Kelce, and as a whole, Mahomes had a more well-rounded collection of weapons at his disposal. We saw even greater creativity out of Reid and coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense.

Kansas City kicked off its quest to return to the top with a roster that featured only 13 players from its Super Bowl win over the 49ers, and 18 from the team that lost to Tampa the following years. But the results spoke for themselves. Despite the change and an injury-induced revolving door at wide receiver and running back for much of the year, Mahomes led the NFL in passing, and the Chiefs led the league in both yards and points.

Sunday night, so many of those new faces delivered pivotal performances. Rookie running back Isiah Pacheco with 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster with seven chain-moving catches for 53 yards. Kadarius Toney with a touchdown catch and 66-yard punt return.

And the outcome was familiar: another comeback on the biggest stage to secure the Lombardi Trophy.

But for all of Reid’s creativity — and we’ve seen a lot, both in Philadelphia and Kansas City as Reid’s teams made the postseason 18 out of 24 seasons — he probably doesn’t get enough credit for his