Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has been at it for a quarter century. During his 25 years as an NFL head coach, Reid has experienced massive success. But how many times has Reid been able to reach the Super Bowl, and what happened when he got there?
How Many Super Bowls Has Andy Reid Coached In?
Reid is one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the NFL right now. For the longest time, he was mostly remembered for his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, and it’s fair to say he’s their greatest head coach of all time.
Having spent nearly as many years in Kansas City as Philadelphia, Reid has built a new legacy for himself. Gone is the guy who struggled with clock management and “couldn’t win the big one.”
Reid coached the Eagles from 1999 until 2012. During that span, he had nine seasons with a winning record. For the vast majority of his run, Donovan McNabb was his quarterback. Yet, with Philadelphia, Reid was best known for being at the forefront of offensive innovation but unable to get over that hump.
The Reid-McNabb duo reached the playoffs eight times. They made the NFC Championship Game on four consecutive occasions from 2001-2004, and then again in 2008.
In four consecutive years, the Eagles were one win away from the Super Bowl. They came up short in their first three attempts, resulting in both Reid and McNabb being labeled as guys who just couldn’t get it done in the playoffs.
Andy Reid’s First Super Bowl Appearance
In 2004, Reid finally had a breakthrough. On the heels of their third consecutive NFC East title and first-round bye, the Eagles easily dispatched the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons en route to his first Super Bowl appearance.
As with many NFC teams that were able to get within reach of the pinnacle of professional football, Philadelphia ran into Tom Brady.
The Eagles put up a strong fight. Led by a heroic performance from 31-year-old Terrell Owens playing on a broken leg, Philadelphia was unable to overcome a 10-point deficit with just under six minutes remaining.
The Eagles did score a late touchdown to cut it to three, but by the time they got the ball back, they had 46 seconds and were inside their own 5-yard line. The Patriots held on to win 24-21.
Alex Smith Era
McNabb left the Eagles following the 2009 season. In 2010, Reid had one more relatively successful year in the true Michael Vick comeback year, but Philadelphia once again went one-and-done in the playoffs.
The 2011 and 2012 seasons were massive steps backward. For the first time in Reid’s career, he failed to post a winning record in consecutive seasons. After the 2012 season, it was clear a change was what was best for both parties.
As quickly as Reid left Philadelphia was how fast he was scooped up by the Chiefs. Historically, retread head coaches haven’t exactly been successful. That’s especially so for coaches who are fired by one team and hired by another without sitting out a year or spending time as a coordinator.
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When Reid took over in Kansas City, with him came Alex Smith as the new starting quarterback. At the time, Smith wasn’t quite considered a bust but was pegged as a game manager, which is not what teams expect from a No. 1 overall pick.
Under Reid, Smith experienced the most success of his career. He spent five years as the starter, finishing with a winning record in all of them. Unfortunately, though, Reid was never able to return to the Super Bowl with Smith at the helm.
Reid’s Second Super Bowl Appearance
In 2017, the Chiefs drafted a kid by the name of Patrick Mahomes. Although Mahomes spent the entire year on the bench behind Smith, the idea was it would be Smith’s final year with the team and Mahomes would take over as the starter in 2018.
In 2018, Mahomes had one of the best seasons in NFL history, en route to his first MVP award. After a decade, Reid was back in the Conference Championship game for a sixth time.
As fate would have it, an old nemesis once again foiled his Super Bowl aspirations, with Kansas City coming up just short against Brady, just as Reid’s Eagles did nearly 15 years prior.
After 20 years as a head coach, many were doubting whether Reid would ever reach another Super Bowl, let alone win one. He was getting older and tracking to be the greatest coach to never win a championship.
In 2019, again with Mahomes, Reid’s Chiefs returned to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year. This time, they got the job done.
For just the second time ever, in his 21st season as a head coach, Reid was back in the Super Bowl. Fortunately, for him, history would not repeat itself.
Kansas City overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl 54, giving Mahomes and Reid their first championship trophy.
Reid’s Third Super Bowl Appearance
The Mahomes-Reid tandem would quickly prove worthy of rivaling Brady-Belichick. In the 2020 season, the Chiefs made the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year. Across the field was that same old guy Reid couldn’t get away from — Tom Brady.
In his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady took his team to the Super Bowl and vanquished Kansas City by the score of 31-9.
Reid’s Fourth Super Bowl Appearance
After falling to the Cincinnati Bengals in the following year’s AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs once again claimed the AFC crown in 2022.
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In one of the most exciting Super Bowls of all time, the Chiefs squeezed out a narrow 38-35 victory over Reid’s former team for his second Super Bowl win.
Reid’s Fifth Super Bowl Appearance
That brings us to the current season. For the fifth time in his career, Reid is coaching in the Super Bowl.
Along with Mahomes, he has led Kansas City to an AFC Championship Game appearance in six straight seasons. In fact, Mahomes has never started a season and not played in the AFC Championship Game.
Reid’s current record in Super Bowls sits at 2-3. In what is certain to be a highly competitive contest, he’s hoping to even that record out and capture his third Super Bowl in a rematch of his first hoisting of the Lombardi Trophy.
As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!