NEW ORLEANS — It’s a well-worn topic over the past few seasons: when will Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid retire?
Contact Vegas oddsmakers, ask the local fortune teller — their guess is as good as any.
On Tuesday, though, the three-time Super Bowl winning coach cleared up at least part of his future.
“Yes, I’ll be back,” he told reporters in New Orleans, confirming that Reid intends to return to the Chiefs for the 2025 season.
Reid stands at 301 career victories, between the regular season and playoffs.
If Kansas City beats the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in Super Bowl LIX (4:30 p.m. MST, Fox), the 66-year-old will become the first head coach in NFL history to lead his team to three consecutive Super Bowl championships.
Chiefs team owner Clark Hunt backed up Reid’s assertion, telling The Athletic his head coach will be back next year.
“I was always surprised when I heard those rumors (of Reid’s retirement) because I know how much fun Andy’s having,” Hunt said. “He, in a lot of ways, is rejuvenated by the success the team’s had. Certainly, he’s matched with the quarterback that’s the perfect complement for him in Patrick (Mahomes). I know he loves what he’s doing.
“I know for a fact he’s going to be back next year.”
Reid, the former BYU player and graduate assistant, explained his motivation for staying in the business for so long — he’s spent the past 26 seasons as an NFL head coach, including 14 years in Philadelphia and the last 12 with Kansas City.
Before that, he spent another seven seasons as an assistant with the Green Bay Packers, under another BYU former assistant, Mike Holmgren.
“I enjoy teaching. I don’t get caught up too much on stats and all that stuff, but I enjoy being around the guys. I enjoy football, the game. Can’t put in the hours that you do and not enjoy it. So I really, I love the game,” Reid said.
That mirrors something Reid said back in 2017, when he attended BYU’s football media day that summer which honored the late LaVell Edwards, who had passed away the previous December.
“Anybody can learn the schemes, given enough time,” he said, as the Deseret News previously reported. “But everybody can’t be a great teacher. The ability to communicate and know people, have some people skill, I think is important.”
Last April, Reid agreed to a contract extension through 2029, which would make him 71 if he stayed with the Chiefs through the remainder of the contract.
The contract is worth a reported $100 million over five years and made him the highest-paid head coach in U.S. sports at the time, according to Sportico.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Clark and the entire Hunt family for giving me the opportunity to lead this historic franchise,” Reid said in a statement at the time. “Over the last 11 years, Tammy and I have enjoyed calling Kansas City our home. The community has embraced us, we’ve watched our family grow, including having all 12 grandkids during our time here.”
Flash forward a little over nine months later, and Reid and the Chiefs find themselves in position to win another Super Bowl title, if they can beat the Eagles in the NFL championship game for the second time in three years.
Sounding almost LaVell Edwards-esque in how he prepares his players for what will be the Chiefs’ fifth Super Bowl appearance in six seasons, Reid gave this explanation.
“The thing is, you don’t want to get too high. You don’t want to get too low in the game,” he said. “I kind of find that area where you keep a steady climb or something bad happens, try to learn from it and move on. But every game’s got that. Every game is a little bit different. We’ve doinked them in, we’ve blocked field goals, wherever it comes up. I’m sure our guys will handle it and move forward in a positive way.”