Andy Reid’s Contract Negotiation: Behind the Scenes Preparations and Successful Tactics”.

Something was not right in this scenario. Despite being considered one of the best coaches in the NFL, Andy Reid was only earning $12.5 million per year, which was roughly half of what his counterpart Bill Belichick was making in New England. This needed to change and finally, it has. While it should not have taken this long for the Chiefs to take care of Reid, it is better late than never.

Along the way, the Chiefs were preparing for the possibility that Reid would retire after the 2023 season. While many Chiefs fans may believe that Reid never considered retiring and the Chiefs never anticipated it, the reality is that preparations were being made for that scenario behind the scenes. When it comes to negotiations and contracts, not everything is publicly disclosed. Privately, the Chiefs were indeed considering the potential retirement of Reid. Perhaps without a significant pay raise, Reid might have considered retirement. Maybe he or his agent hinted at retirement as an option without a new deal on the table. Without a salary cap for coaches, Reid could have followed in the footsteps of Sean Payton, taking a year off and then negotiating his desired salary.

Whatever discussions and negotiations occurred behind closed doors led to Reid getting the compensation he rightfully deserved. If creating the possibility of life without Reid was necessary to make the deal happen, then it was a successful strategy