With three Super Bowl titles to his name and a decade of dominance at the Kansas City Chiefs, Andy Reid has earned widespread acclaim – but not everyone is ready to crown him unconditionally.
The 67-year-old mastermind is often placed in the upper echelon of NFL coaching greats thanks to his spells with the Philadelphia Eagles and at the Arrowhead Stadium. However, is he carried by his quarterback?
That’s the question posed by Colin Cowherd, who suggested a sharp critique of Reid‘s historical record, drawing a line between Reid‘s legacy of before and after the arrival of Patrick Mahomes.
“As great as Andy Reid is, he only started hoisting trophies when he got Patrick Mahomes,” Cowherd said on FS1’s The Herd, spotlighting a trend in his career that has gained renewed attention ahead of the 2025/26 NFL season.
Reid‘s coaching resume is both extensive and complex as his tenure with the Eagles, which began in 1999, saw regular-season success but repeated playoff shortcomings.
He lost four consecutive NFC Championship Games from 2000 to 2003, then fell short again in his first Super Bowl appearance in 2004. Another NFC title game defeat followed in 2008.
After being hired by Kansas City in 2013, he failed to reach an AFC Championship Game until Mahomes emerged as the starter in 2018 and became the NFL’s most consistent powerhouse.
Since then, the Chiefs have appeared in five Super Bowls, winning three. The correlation is difficult to ignore, however the reality is likely that Reid‘s system was always close and it lacked an excellent quarterback to take it to the next level – which is what Mahomes provides.
Reid reacts to Super Bowl LIX loss
Cowherd‘s commentary lands at a time when Reid faces renewed scrutiny following a difficult Super Bowl LIX loss. The Chiefs were overwhelmed by the Eagles‘ defense, allowing six sacks on Mahomes without a single blitz.
Offensive line failures, most notably from Joe Thuney and substitute Mike Caliendo, were exposed on the biggest stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9.
In response, the organization has taken measures to revamp the offensive line. Kansas City selected tackle Josh Simmons with the 32nd pick after trading down with Philadelphia. Additionally, with Thuney now in Chicago, Kingsley Suamataia is being shifted to guard.
“(Suamataia)’s got experience, and then he looks more comfortable there. He seems to be picking it up pretty well,” Reid said to reporters. “[Simmons] is doing a nice job.
“You can definitely see the talent. He’s gotta keep learning the stuff that (offensive line coach Andy Heck)’s teaching him, but he sure has a good attitude about it.”
Meanwhile, rookie running back Brashard Smith has drawn praise for his versatility and deep-ball potential-a connection with Mahomes that was already on display during OTAs, a promising development as he transitions from college receiver to professional running back.
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