As Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs get set to aim for yet another Super Bowl appearance, many eyes and ears are set on what the head coach might do following the season.
Sure, there is plenty to talk about when it comes to the AFC Championship Game itself.
But, many would rather sit back and speculate over things that haven't yet happened.
There have been an awful lot of rumors in regards to Reid and whether or not he will retire after this season. So, where are we with all of it?
Is Andy Reid retiring? What are the latest rumors suggesting?
NBC Sports' Mike Florio hasn't given a definitive report on Reid's future, but he had this to say a few days ago:
"The Chiefs have a possible Andy Reid retirement after the current postseason on their radar screen."
Florio went on to write, just a couple of paragraphs later:
"Again, we’re not saying Reid is retiring. We are saying that the possibility of Reid retiring is on the Chiefs’ radar screen."
So, we know this for sure: Florio does not have a concrete answer in regards to the rumor.
Other opinions on the matter include CBS lead NFL reporter Tracy Wolfson, who would be surprised if Reid retired.
From my conversations with a lot of people close to Andy Reid and 2 years left on his contract I would be very surprised if Reid retired#Chiefs https://t.co/cN3wH1YOM5
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) January 25, 2024
Nate Taylor of The Athletic asked Reid about retirement a couple of weeks ago, to which Reid responded:
“I haven’t even thought about that. I’m thinking about one thing. I figured that would come up when you guys were asking these questions, because I’m old. But not that old.”
So, as of a few weeks ago, it doesn't even look like retirement is on Reid's radar. But, that doesn't mean we're not going to hear about it from now until the end of the Chiefs' season.
Now, on to a more controversial name in sports media. Fox Sports' Nick Wright went on the air with Colin Cowherd recently and weighed in on the rumors:
"Florio keeps floating the idea that Andy might retire. But Andy, when asked about it, keeps saying 'absolutely not.
"I think if any of the candidates thought there was even a 10 percent chance that coaching Patrick Mahomes could become available in a couple weeks, I think everyone would be pausing what they were doing and say, 'hold on, let's see if that one is available to me,'" Wright said.
Now, Wright and Cowherd also briefly touched on Mike Vrabel and seemed to insinuate that because of his connection to Kansas City (he was part of the Matt Cassel trade) he could be an option. But, nothing outright was said by Wright or Cowherd definitively connecting Vrabel to taking over for Reid.
I think, for right now, it's safe to say that Reid isn't going to retire. There aren't any sure fire signs which point in that direction. As long as Patrick Mahomes is in his prime, I don't see a reason why Reid would call it quits, barring any additional, future health issues.