Andy Reid doesn’t appear any closer to retirement regardless of if the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII or not. If the Chiefs do win, that won’t influence Reid’s decision to walk away from the game.
CBS Sports’ THE NFL TODAY analyst and Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Cowher tried to get the retirement answer out of the 65-year-old Reid, but the two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach threw the question back at him.
Cowher: “If you have a chance to win a Super Bowl, is there any chance Andy Reid coached his final game?”
Reid: “I get asked that. I’m good. I feel great. They say it just hits you, (but) it hasn’t hit me. That’s the best answer I can give. And you went through it. I have to ask you that question. How did you know?”
Cowher: “I know, and I stepped down at 49 years old. And when I got out, it wasn’t that bad. I haven’t lost a game in 17 years. And I keep telling you to run the football, so how good does this get!”
Reid doesn’t appear to be heading for the TV booth either, as it’s hard to envision him stepping down in the middle of the greatest run in franchise history. Reid has never had a losing season with Kansas City in his 11 years, and has double-digit win seasons in each of the last 10. During that stretch, Reid has eight straight AFC West championships, six straight conference championship appearances, four AFC Championships and two Super Bowl titles.
The Chiefs are just the third team in NFL history to make four Super Bowls in a five-season span, joining the 1990-1993 Buffalo Bills and the 2014-2018 New England Patriots. The Chiefs are 128-51 (.715 win percentage) in Reid’s 11 seasons.
Hugh Douglas, who played with Reid for five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, doesn’t see Reid just walking away from the game either. One of Reid’s first players would be surprised if Reid retired — win or lose Super Bowl LVIII.
“I don’t see Coach Reid going anywhere,” Douglas said to CBS Sports ahead of the Super Bowl. “He loves this game so much. And look, not getting into his personal business, but he’s made a lot of sacrifices for the game of football. Some, I know, have to be tough on Coach.
“I think he loves the game of football. I think there are some things he feels he can still do for this game. If he walked away this year, I would be surprised.”