Retirement isn't on Andy Reid's Mind — 'If It Takes Me Into My 70s, Then Let's Roll'
Sporting his “best Tommy Bahama,” Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid joined General Manager Brett Veach and newly-signed quarterback Patrick Mahomes to speak to the media on Tuesday, discussing Mahomes' 10-year contract extension.
Toward the beginning of the press conference, Reid requested that reporters keep the bulk of the days' questions directed to Mahomes on his historic day. That didn’t stop Kansas City Star Chiefs beat reporter Herbie Teope from asking about Reid’s future as head coach of the Chiefs in light of Mahomes' $503 million contract extension.
“Hey coach, when I think of great quarterback and head coach tandems — [Tom] Brady, [Bill] Belichick; [Drew] Brees, [Sean] Payton; [Brett] Farve, [Mike] Holmgren," Teope began, "what does this contract do for you and your coaching shelf life of knowing you got Mahomes in Kansas City for the next 12 years and you're going to be in your young 70s, what does this do for you?"
Reid, 62, made his intentions quite clear.
“Listen, Herbie, I haven’t got to that point mentally where I’m thinking about retirement,” Reid said. “One of the great things about this job is when you look forward to coming to work and deal with the guys — the players, coaches. I’m lucky enough to be around good players and coaches. This guy here [Mahomes] makes it even better. He has a unique ability with what he does with his teammates.”
Reid is one of six coaches over 60 and is the fifth-oldest active head coach in the NFL. Only Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll are older than Big Red.
| Oldest Active NFL Head Coaches | ||
|---|---|---|
Name | Team | Birthday (Age) |
Vic Fangio | Denver Broncos | August 22, 1958 (61) |
Andy Reid | Kansas City Chiefs | March 19, 1958 (62) |
Mike Zimmer | Minnesota Vikings | June 5, 1956 (64) |
Bruce Arians | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | October 3, 1952 (67) |
Bill Belichick | New England Patriots | April 16, 1952 (68) |
Pete Carroll | Seattle Seahawks | September 15, 1951 (68) |
Former Kansas City Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil and Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy are the only two head coaches to stay on the sidelines longer than Bellichick and Carroll. Vermeil retired in 2005 at age 69, while Levy ended his career in 1997 at 70 years old.
Reid would be coaching at 73 if he stays with the Chiefs until Mahomes’ contract ends in 2031.
Retirement may not even be in the picture then, as Mahomes would be just 36.
“Listen, if it takes me into my 70s, then let’s roll, Herbie,” Reid said. “Doggone it, I’m ready to go.”
