While the Chiefs make a push to three-peat, even Clark Hunt is still being asked about Andy Reid’s future and retirement plans.

Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; Fox host Terry Bradshaw (left) interviews Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (center) as he celebrates with team owner Clark Hunt and the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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As the undefeated, reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs continue their push to make NFL history, a familiar topic has resurfaced. Who cares about all this football? When is Andy Reid going to retire?!

In a portion of a larger piece detailing the Chiefs’ dynasty, organizational structure and standing for the next decade, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN devoted some time to Reid’s future, describing Reid as having “an uncertain retirement timetable.”

“Here Reid sits in 2024, at age 66, with zero signs of slowing,” Fowler wrote. “[Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark] Hunt told ESPN that Reid, who by all accounts is in good health, could ‘absolutely’ be the Chiefs’ coach for another five years. Reid doesn’t drink or smoke and works on football nearly year-round.”

Next, the story quotes Hunt directly.

“He certainly seems rejuvenated, I would say, by the success of the team in the last few years and having one of the most special quarterbacks of all time,” Hunt said. “I have no sense that he has any interest in retiring any time soon, which is fantastic. But I think any leader needs to be thinking about succession. … Eventually that day will come.”

To Fowler’s credit, this wasn’t the crux of his story, nor did he over-sell the angle, but many other media members in recent history have handled the topic much worse. Noting that my upcoming vitriol is not directed to Fowler or this particular story, I have to ask…

Why do we keep talking about Andy Reid’s retirement plans this way?

As someone who has talked and written plenty about these persistent Reid retirement “rumors,” take a closer look at how Fowler introduced the aforementioned section of his story as the conversation turns to Reid’s future:

“Whispers from certain league circles persisted in September 2021, when Reid felt ill at the conclusion of a loss to the Chargers and was hospitalized for dehydration,” the section begins. “Will Andy be forced to retire? There was no evidence such a move was being considered by Reid, but the question was being asked. His name sometimes comes up in discussions about the coaching carousel as agents and media try to forecast upcoming openings.”

That is massively telling as to why this is an annual conversation. Yes, at age 66, Reid is the oldest active head coach in the NFL. On the other hand, Bill Belichick, who is currently in the midst of virtually every pending head coaching conversation for jobs that may open up in 2025, is 72 years old. Alabama legend Nick Saban’s surprising retirement came at age 72.

Let me repeat that for the sake of absolute clarity: Media conversation about the 72-year-old Belichick centers around his next act, which would begin around his 73rd birthday. Reid, at 66, is in at least his third year of fielding questions about retirement.

The reason “the question was being asked” is because “agents and media try to forecast upcoming openings,” not because Reid is slowing down. This is a self-fulfilling evergreen topic because a handful of loud-but-unburdened-by-details media members continue to make it one.

No one should expect Reid to coach into his 90s, and no one should expect him to choose to step aside after this season, even if Kansas City completes the NFL’s first-ever three-peat. Perhaps, at some point, Reid’s health will pull him away before he’d like to exit, but pontificating about that timeline is just as useless as it is ghoulish. Hunt’s acknowledgement that “eventually that day will come” says more about human mortality than it does about Reid’s current mindset. Not exactly ground-breaking.

Reid’s only notable response to retirement rumors has been to sign contract extensions. Even with Reid contractually tied to the Chiefs through 2029, this conversation persists. Perhaps Reid will step away before the conclusion of his deal, but it seems perfectly evident that Reid’s every intention is to, at minimum, persist through the ’29 season while he chases history with the best quarterback he’s ever coached. Even after the 2029 season, Reid would still only be 71 years old — younger than Belichick is now as he prepares for another act roaming the sideline next season.