Is Andy Reid a first ballot Hall of Fame coach?

With yet another Super Bowl trip under his belt, is Kansas City Head Coach Andy Reid a first ballot hall of famer?

By Nick Simon on February 17, 2024 4:00 am

The Kansas City Chiefs will battle the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58 and will try to become the first team in roughly two decades to win back-to-back Lombardi Trophies. This marks a return to the big stage for KC head man Andy Reid, who will be calling plays in his fifth career Super Bowl as a head coach.

At 65 years old, there has been some retirement speculation surrounding Reid heading into this year’s game and he promptly shot those rumors down during opening night on Monday. But when the veteran coach eventually hangs it up, it’s worth asking if he’ll be a first-ballot selection for Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Actually, it’s almost not worth asking … because he’s one of the most obvious first-ballot candidates in league history.

Reid is one of the most decorated NFL head coaches of the 21st century, second only to now former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during that period. Through 25 seasons, he has amassed the fourth-most wins in NFL history at 258 and is second only to Belichick in playoff victories at 25. He is the all-time wins leader for both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, making him the only person in NFL history to be the winningest coach for multiple franchises. And with this year’s appearance in the Super Bowl, he joins Belichick, Don Shula, and Tom Landry as the only coaches to reach the big game five times.

Along with those accolades, Reid has a very impressive coaching tree as 11 of his assistants with either the Eagles or Chiefs went on to become full-time NFL head coaches. John Harbaugh and Doug Pederson are the only two from that list to go on and win Super Bowls of their own, with Harbaugh doing it with the Ravens in 2012 and Pederson doing it with the Eagles in 2017.

Needless to say, Reid’s success and status as one of the most influential coaches in modern football history will earn him a gold jacket as soon as he becomes eligible for one.