Under-fire Chiefs coach Andy Reid responds to calls for him to be fired after terrible season
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid has issued a defiant message amid calls for him to be fired following the team's disastrous NFL season.
For the first time since 2014, the Chiefs failed to reach the postseason after falling to a 6-10 record during the regular season - with just one game on January 4th remaining.
Their nightmare season has led to lingering questions over the future of tight end Travis Kelce - who has hinted at retirement - as well as head coach Reid.
However, amid the murmurs, the Kansas City coach came out on Monday and fired back at claims that he will leave once the regular season wraps up.
Speaking to ChiefsDigest, Reid said: 'I think I'm coming back. If they'll have me back, I'll come back. You never know in this business, that's a tough one. But I plan on it.'
Prior to 2025, the Chiefs had made the playoffs for ten straight seasons. Five of those runs ended in trips to the Super Bowl, with the Chiefs claiming victory in three.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid has issued a defiant message amid calls for him to be fired
The pressure comes after the Chiefs missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2014
Earlier this month, a source close to Reid insisted that the Chiefs' head coach would be going nowhere and, instead, wanted to rectify their woes from this year.
NFL Insiders Ian Rapoport & Tom Pelissero revealed that a source close to Reid said: 'Coach Reid ain't going out like this'.
Meanwhile, another reportedly said: 'He'll be back'.
While Reid has been upfront about how he wants the situation to be resolved, the same can not be said for his tight end Travis Kelce.
Kelce has spent his whole career with the Chiefs after being drafted in 2013 and has established himself as one of the best tight ends in the history of the game.
But the 36-year-old's Chiefs contract expires at the end of the season, and many expect he will ride off into the sunset with fiancée Taylor Swift, with next week's game against the Las Vegas Raiders his final NFL appearance.
Question marks have been circling for weeks and, in the lead-up to their game against the Broncos on Christmas, Kelce offered a candid insight into his thoughts.
'I think I'm still searching for those answers,' Kelce said when pressed on his looming decision. 'Obviously the way this one ended with a sour taste in my mouth. I feel motivated but I've got to make the right decision for myself.'
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has refused to rule out retirement when the 2025 season ends
There are rumors Kelce will hang up his cleats ahead of his wedding to popstar Taylor Swift
However, the three-time Super Bowl winner didn't fully close the door on the possibility of returning for one more season.
'Just the fact that when I know it's over, it's over,' he added when Gonzalez questioned what he would be returning for.
'I still have a lot of love for this game. If I came back it would be just to answer that flame in my heart for this thing.'
In the same interview, Kelce laid bare the personal toll of the team's struggling form this season and how it's impacted his relationship with head coach Reid.
'It's frustrating, man. It's frustrating,' Kelce said when discussing the season. 'I feel like I can't even look my guy, Coach Andy Reid, in his eyes right now.'
'Just 'cause I feel like I've disappointed or I've just let him down in some way, somehow, throughout the year,' he said.
