by The Reid-Mahomes Connection: Architect and Quarterback of the Modern NFL Offense
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For over two decades, Andy Reid has been one of the most innovative offensive minds in the NFL. As head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Reid has pioneered new offensive schemes that have transformed how the game is played. While many coaches have come and gone, Reid remains one of the league’s most respected and accomplished coaches.
However, Reid’s greatest success has come in Kansas City thanks to one of the most talented quarterbacks of this generation – Patrick Mahomes. In just a few short years together, Reid and Mahomes have built one of the most explosive and dynamic offenses in NFL history. Their partnership has produced an MVP award for Mahomes along with a Super Bowl championship for the Chiefs in 2020.
Individually, Reid and Mahomes are both modern day legends in their own right. But together, they have created something truly special. Their innovative offensive approach and Mahomes’ otherworldly talents have changed the way football is played. This article will examine the careers and philosophies of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. It will explore their partnership in Kansas City and how they have revolutionized the NFL together.
Andy Reid – The Architect of the Modern NFL Offense
Born in Los Angeles in 1958, Andy Reid got his start in coaching as an offensive line assistant at San Francisco State in 1983. From there, he worked his way up through the college ranks as an offensive coordinator before getting his first NFL job as quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers under Mike Holmgren from 1992-1998.
It was during this time working under Holmgren that Reid began developing his offensive philosophy. Holmgren, who had coached under Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense in San Francisco, emphasized spreading the field with multiple receivers and using short, quick passes to move the ball down the field. Reid absorbed these lessons and would eventually expand on them in his own schemes.
In 1999, Reid got his first head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the next 14 seasons in Philly, Reid established himself as one of the most innovative offensive minds in the NFL. He began implementing and refining the West Coast passing concepts he learned from Holmgren. But Reid also added his own wrinkles like pre-snap motion, run-pass options (RPOs), and creative play designs to keep defenses on their heels.
Reid’s high-powered offenses in Philadelphia consistently ranked among the league’s best. He helped Donovan McNabb develop into a Pro Bowl quarterback as the Eagles made the playoffs nine times with Reid at the helm. Philadelphia reached the NFC Championship game five times between 2001-2004 but came up just short of a Super Bowl.
After the 2012 season, Reid was fired by the Eagles following a 4-12 campaign. But he didn’t remain unemployed for long. Just weeks later, Reid was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs and tasked with turning around a struggling franchise that had not won a playoff game in over 20 years.
In Kansas City, Reid had more weapons than ever before to fully unleash his innovative offensive schemes. He had a young, athletic quarterback in Alex Smith and playmakers like Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce. Reid also benefited from having full autonomy over personnel decisions as head coach. This allowed him to build an offense perfectly tailored to his system from the ground up.
In Reid’s first season with the Chiefs in 2013, Kansas City won 11 games and their first playoff game in over two decades. They reached the playoffs again in 2015 before a disappointing 6-10 campaign in 2016 led to Alex Smith being replaced under center. That’s when Reid’s offensive revolution in Kansas City truly took flight with the arrival of Patrick Mahomes in 2017.
Patrick Mahomes – The Ultimate Weapon
Growing up in Whitehouse, Texas, Patrick Mahomes showed an early affinity for athletics like baseball and basketball. But it was on the football field where his otherworldly talents were destined to shine. Even as a young player, Mahomes possessed a rare combination of size, speed, and throwing ability that was nearly unmatched.
He attended Texas Tech University where he put up video game numbers in their Air Raid spread offense from 2014-2016. As a starter for two seasons, Mahomes threw for over 11,000 yards and 93 touchdowns. He won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the top passer in college football as a junior in 2016 before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Despite his prolific college production, some scouts had reservations about Mahomes’ unorthodox throwing motion and if his stats would translate against NFL defenses. As a result, he surprisingly fell to the 10th overall pick in 2017 where the Chiefs traded up to select him. Kansas City viewed Mahomes as the ultimate weapon for Andy Reid’s offense.
As a rookie in 2017, Mahomes sat behind veteran Alex Smith and learned Reid’s complex schemes from the sidelines. But the writing was on the wall that Mahomes possessed otherworldly talents the Chiefs had never seen before. Prior to the 2018 season, Kansas City traded Smith which opened the door for Mahomes to take over as the starter.
In his first season as the man under center in 2018, Mahomes exploded onto the NFL scene. He threw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, leading the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game in just his first year as a starter. Mahomes’ electrifying plays made highlight reels on a weekly basis as he took Reid’s offense to new heights.
Mahomes won the NFL MVP award as he established himself as not just the new face of the Chiefs but arguably of the entire league as well. At only 23 years old, he was already one of the best quarterbacks in football thanks to his combination of arm strength, accuracy, athleticism and football IQ.
The following year in 2019, Mahomes led the Chiefs to an impressive 12-4 record and the top seed in the AFC playoffs. After overcoming a 24-0 deficit in the Divisional Round, Kansas City reached the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years. There, Mahomes outdueled the 49ers in the fourth quarter for a 31-20 victory, winning Super Bowl MVP in the process.
At just 24, Mahomes had already achieved the pinnacle of team success by leading the Chiefs to a championship. He solidified himself as the unquestioned cornerstone of the franchise for years to come. With Mahomes under center, the sky suddenly seemed to be the limit for Reid’s high-powered offense in Kansas City.
The Reid-Mahomes Partnership
When Andy Reid was hired by the Chiefs in 2013, the foundation was laid for his innovative schemes to take root. But it was the arrival of Patrick Mahomes in 2017 that allowed Reid’s offensive genius to fully blossom. Their partnership has created one of the most explosive and dynamic offenses in modern NFL history.
Reid tailored his complex schemes perfectly to Mahomes’ unique talents. He gave Mahomes freedom at the line of scrimmage to change plays based on the defense. This allowed Mahomes to fully utilize his athleticism, vision and decision making in real time. Reid also designed an endless variety of play designs to spring Mahomes’ receivers open all over the field.
Between Reid’s creativity as a play caller and Mahomes’ otherworldly arm and mobility, defenses have been left grasping for answers. The Chiefs routinely shred opponents with big plays from every area of the field. They attack the seams with tight ends, stretch the field vertically with speedsters, and utilize misdirection to free up running backs into open space.
No lead is safe when Mahomes has the ball in his hands. The Chiefs have mounted double digit comebacks in the playoffs alone thanks to Mahomes’ late game heroics. He makes off-schedule plays look routine with his ability to extend plays and throw from any platform or angle. Combined with Reid’s schemes, it makes the Kansas City offense nearly impossible to stop.
In just five seasons together thus far, Reid and Mahomes have amassed staggering numbers. The Chiefs have led the NFL in scoring twice and ranked top five three other times. Mahomes has thrown for over 14,000 yards and 114 touchdowns under Reid. He won MVP in 2018 and Super Bowl MVP in 2020, cementing his place among the all-time greats.
Reid deserves immense credit for crafting an offense that maximizes Mahomes’ rare abilities. But Mahomes’ otherworldly talents have also taken Reid’s schemes to new heights the NFL has never seen. Their partnership has completely changed how offenses are designed and defenses must now account for the Chiefs’ big play potential on every snap.
Together, Reid and Mahomes have established the Kansas City Chiefs as the gold standard franchise in today’s NFL. They are perennial Super Bowl contenders with seemingly no end in sight to their success. As long as Reid remains at the helm designing offenses and Mahomes is under center, the football world will continue to be amazed by what this dynamic duo accomplishes. Their partnership is truly revolutionizing the modern game.
Future Outlook
At 63 years old, Andy Reid shows no signs of slowing down. He remains as creative and innovative as ever in crafting new schemes each season. Reid just signed a contract extension with Kansas City through the 2025 season, ensuring he will remain the architect of their offense for years to come.
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