Chiefs finally take care of Andy Reid

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Chiefs coach Andy Reid, one of the greatest to ever make it, made just $12.5 million a year. About half of what Bill Belichick would make in New England.

This had to change. That finally changed. And while the Chiefs shouldn’t have taken this long to deal with Reid, better late than never.

Along the way, the Chiefs were indeed preparing for the possibility that Reid would retire after the 2023 season. The fact that he didn’t do so doesn’t change the fact that the Chiefs were preparing for that eventuality. (Even though many Chiefs fans believe that by not retiring, Reid absolutely never thought about it and the Chiefs absolutely never anticipated the possibility.)

This is where I’m going to pull back the curtain a little on how the sausage is stuffed. If/when I get something wrong, I will inevitably hear about it — from a team member, someone associated with the person (if not the person themselves), or from an intermediary to whom the task has been entrusted. to put myself back in order. Not once have I heard a word from the Chiefs, Reid, or anyone connected to them, that the Chiefs were not, or should not be, preparing for the possibility of Reid retiring.

Publicly, everyone said what they had to say. Privately, the Chiefs were indeed preparing for the possibility that Reid would retire.

Without a significant raise, he might have done so. Perhaps he (or his agent) suggested retirement as an option without a new deal. Maybe that would have been an option. Why continue to do this job for 50 percent of what Belichick was making?

There is no salary cap for coaches. Reid could have, in theory, pulled a Sean Payton, taken a year off and then named his price for, well, the bills.

The move helped Payton reportedly earn $20 million a year. Whatever happened behind the scenes, Reid got what he deserves. If, along the way, he should get the Chiefs to consider their options for life without Reid in order to achieve that, so be it.

Because it worked.