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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has been named one of the best coaches in the NFL, only behind Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has been a fixture of the organization for years, and even beyond the Chiefs, he’s one of the most respected coaches in the NFL. Now, Reid is getting some extra love in a new NFL head coach ranking, landing at No. 2, only behind Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.

Reid was hired as the team’s 13th head coach in franchise history on January 7, 2013, so he’s been with the team for more than a decade. Of course, he’s won multiple Super Bowls as head coach of the Chiefs, including scoring back-to-back championships. So, he’s proven himself, but this past season, the Chiefs had a 6-11 record, so Reid has work to do going forward.

Heading into the 2026-27 season, one NFL analyst still thinks Reid is among the best coaches in the NFL for his leadership qualities and ability to simply coach.

Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid Named No. 2 Best in the NFL for 2026

Chiefs Kingdom already knew Reid was the best, and now, he continues to get that label even after a rough season. In a Tuesday, April 7 piece for NBC Sports, Patrick Daugherty offers up his head coach rankings for all 32 teams.

“The demands on a coach — leadership, discipline, media savvy, scheme sophistication — are mostly the same as they have always been,” he notes in the feature. “What’s changed is the hypersonic speed at which they continue to evolve.”

He has Reid at No. 2 on the tally. In the piece, Daugherty even says that Reid is “one of the greatest coaches in the history of football” and that “this was true even before he found Patrick Mahomes.” On top of that, he states, “If you want to say he’s still the best current coach, you could easily win the debate.”

Daugherty also defends the Chiefs’ shaky year, stating “Reid tacitly acknowledged the need for new ideas when he let former OC Matt Nagy’s contract lapse, but perhaps not the will to really implement them when his solution was simply recycling former OC Eric Bieniemy.”

For what it’s worth, bringing back Eric Bieniemy was largely seen as a strong move, especially since he helped the team win Super Bowl titles under his guidance.

In the piece, Daugherty names McVay as the best coach for 2026, comparing him to both Bill Belichick and Nick Saban.

Patrick Daugherty Says the ‘Joke Is On You’ If You Don’t Think Andy Reid is a Great Coach

So, in the end, Daugherty makes the good point that the “joke is on you” if you don’t think Reid is a great coach. But, he ends with a warning that the “joke will be on him, however, if he thinks mere tweaks and shuffling will be enough to right what went wrong in 2025.”

Not everyone is so glowing. In a Wednesday, April 8 feature for ESPN, Nate Taylor says that “Reid is facing a critical year ahead of him.”

“Mahomes is in the midst of an offseason he has never experienced before, as he’s hoping to be in uniform when the Chiefs open the season, whether it’s Sept. 13 or 14,” Taylor adds. “For Reid, he has quite the objective: Can he — as the NFL’s oldest coach, at age 68 — reignite the Chiefs’ offense, both as a leader and playcaller?”

That question will be answered this coming season. But, for now, it’s nice to see this longtime coach get recognized as the second best in the modern day league.

Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson