Andy Reid signing with the Chiefs is 'imminent'
All signs are starting to point to Kansas City as Andy Reid’s next stop.
The ex-Eagles coach was reportedly “on the verge” of inking a deal with the Chiefs after meeting with the team’s brass for a nine-hour meeting in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
“The major issues have been discussed and agreed upon,” a source told ESPN this morning.
CBSsports.com reported this afternoon that a deal "imminent."
There have been reports that Reid is still planning to interview with the Cardinals and Chargers, but neither team has confirmed such a meeting. Arizona president Michael Bidwell had said that the Cardinals would interview Reid, but those plans appear to have been put off for the moment.
The Cardinals have already interviewed Ray Horton, their defensive coordinator, and have reportedly set up an interview with Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. The Chargers haven’t had any interviews, at least any confirmed ones.
On Monday, the same day the Eagles fired Reid, the Cardinals (Ken Whisenhunt), Chargers (Norv Turner) and Chiefs (Romeo Crennel) also fired their coaches.
Reid met with the Cheifs, including owner Clark Hunt, team president Mark Donovan and general manager Scott Pioli, at Philadelphia International Airport where many of the issues that would involve Reid’s hiring were hashed out.
Donovan worked with the Eagles in the mid-2000s as their senior vice president of operations.
There have been reports that Pioli would be out if Reid came aboard and that former Eagles and Browns GM Tom Heckert would replace him. But those reports appear premature. Pioli worked with Bill Belichick in New England and Reid has close ties to the Patriots coach.
Falcons special teams cooridinator Keith Armstrong was the only other interview for the Chiefs. He would satisfy the NFL’s Rooney Rule which requires teams to interview minority candidates for top coaching jobs.
The Eagles are quietly hoping Reid signs with a team this offseason. Reid is due $5 million in the remaining year of his contact. But there is an offset clause if Reid signs elsewhere, an NFL source said.
The $5 million could come in handy, for instance, if the Eagles wanted to sign Bill O’Brien. The Penn State coach has a buyout clause in his contract that has been reported to be worth anywhere from $9-18 million.
Reid has not spoken publicly since Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie fired him on Monday. The Eagles had set up a press conference for Reid that morning, but he had decided at some point to not answer questions, a team source said.
