Andy Reid’s coaching tree: Sean McDermott, John Harbaugh lead list of NFL success stories
Those looking for shade might want to take a seat under Andy Reid’s coaching tree.
While Reid has been leader to some of the greatest offenses the league has ever seen, he also deserves a lot of credit for co-activating new leaders at his stops with the Eagles and the Chiefs
Coaching trees in the NFL are largely overrated, but there’s something about the Reid tree that’s borne good fruit. Three coaches have reached the Super Bowl, two have won it, and most of them have some measure of playoff and division success in their NFL careers.
All but two of Reid’s assistants who have gone on to have head coaching opportunities were still in the NFL in 2023. One of the two who wasn’t in the league was holding down an FBS offensive coordinator job, so that speaks to the quality of assistants “Big Red” has employed through the years.
With offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy waiting in the wings for a head coaching gig, here’s a look at the many successes of Reid’s coaching tree:
MORE:Â Bill Belichick’s coaching tree failures
Andy Reid coaching tree
Sean McDermott
Experience: Buffalo Bills, 2017 to present
Head coaching record:Â 73-41
Sean McDermott, who served in various roles under Reid between 2001 and 2010, has been the man in charge in Orchard Park since 2017. Since then, the returns have been largely good: McDermott’s Bills have finished under .500 just once (6-10, 2018), and have four consecutive AFC East titles.
McDermott has done well to surround himself with an exceptional staff and has coached up young talent to the best of their abilities. McDermott has made the playoffs in six of his seven seasons to date, with his best campaign coming in 2022 when the team posted a 13-3 record. The only blemish on McDermott’s résumé is that the Bills haven’t yet been to a Super Bowl under his watch.
John Harbaugh
Experience: Baltimore Ravens, 2008 to present
Head coaching record:Â 160-99; Won Super Bowl 47
Hiring a special teams coordinator as a head coach isn’t all that common, but it’s one that’s really worked out for Harbaugh and the Ravens.Â
Harbaugh was the longtime special teams coach of the Eagles between 1998 and 2007, pre-dating Reid in Philadelphia by a year. He got his first crack at a head-coaching gig with the Ravens, and it turned out to be the right move for both sides: The Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012, on the arm of Joe Flacco and a wonderful defense.
Harbaugh’s Ravens are now 61 games over .500 since he took the job, with a Super Bowl ring and five division titles in a difficult AFC North. Harbaugh, now 61, hasn’t been back to the Super Bowl since 2012, but he and Lamar Jackson were in the 2024 AFC championship game. Fittingly, however, Harbaugh’s Ravens lost to Reid’s Chiefs, giving the Kansas City coach yet another victory over one of his former disciples.
Matt Nagy
Experience:Â Chicago Bears, 2017-21
Head coaching record:Â 34-31
Nagy was saddled with a pretty unfortunate quarterback situation in Chicago, leading to an up-and-down tenure in the Windy City. While his QB situation has blown, Nagy had the Bears in the playoffs in 2018 and 2020 and got what he could out of Mitchell Trubisky and others.
Nagy oftentimes came under fire for his play-calling and game plans, and that much was evidenced during his only season with Justin Fields at the helm. He was fired following the 2021 season with a 6-11 record and returned to work under Reid again as a member of the Chiefs.
Doug Pederson
Experience:Â Philadelphia Eagles, 2016-2020; Jacksonville Jaguars 2022-present
Head coaching record: 60-53-1, won Super Bowl 52
When the Eagles moved on from Andy Reid, it was a divorce of boredom over one of despise.
Well, when Doug Pederson was hired, it was a reuniting of Reid and Philly of sorts: Pederson was operating under Reid as offensive coordinator with the Chiefs when “Big Red” made the jump to Kansas City in 2013.Â
Pederson’s 2020 season proved to be his last, with turmoil and tension between the Super Bowl-winning coach and owner Jeffrey Lurie bubbling up to the point of Pederson’s dismissal. Pederson wound up with the Jaguars in 2022 after taking a year away from the game, helping lead the Jags to an AFC South title — and helping develop Trevor Lawrence in the process.
Pederson’s second season in Jacksonville wasn’t as strong and featured a second-half collapse that saw the Jaguars blow the AFC South despite a significant lead. Still, the Jaguars posted a winning, 9-8 season, Pederson’s fifth in his seven years as a head coach.
Ron Rivera
Experience: Carolina Panthers, 2011-19; Washington Football Team/Commanders, 2020 to 2023.
Head coaching record:Â 102-103-2
There are few that bring respect and integrity around the sport that Ron Rivera does. Rivera worked under Reid as his linebackers coach between 1999 and 2003, before stretching his legs as a defensive coordinator with the Bears and Chargers. Then, he landed with the Panthers as head coach in 2010.
Along with Cam Newton, Rivera won the NFC South three times and made it to Super Bowl 50, losing to the Broncos in a blowout. No shame, though: Rivera kept his job and his reputation for the next three seasons, making the jump to Washington following his firing from Carolina in 2020.
Despite a 7-9 debut season for the Washington Football Team in 2020, “Riverboat Ron” instantly brought a modicum of respect and competitiveness to a team that had been lacking both for years. He helped steer the franchise through its messy divorce with Dan Snyder and two name changes with grace.
Rivera never quite figured out the quarterback situation in Washington, however, and the team’s defensive performance slipped in the latter end of his tenure there. That led to his firing after the 2023 NFL season ended.
Todd Bowles
Experience:Â Miami Dolphins (interim, 2011; New York Jets, 2015-18; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2022-present.
Head coaching record: 43-58
Bowles had a few stops before landing under Reid for a season, leaving this as something of a tangential piece of Reid’s coaching tree. Still, Bowles went on to build a pretty solid defense with the Cardinals between 2013 and 2014 before getting the Jets job in 2015.Â
Bowles’ ultra-conservative style didn’t help the Jets win games outside of his first year, but roster management and general organizational dysfunction told more of the story of his tenure. He got his next shot as a head coach in the wake of Bruce Arians’ retirement with the Buccaneers, putting together an underwhelming 8-9 season his first year at the helm.
Bowles followed that up by logging an impressive 9-8 record and winning a playoff game despite Baker Mayfield replacing Tom Brady. Perhaps the switch to offensive coordinator Dave Canales — now the Panthers head coach — was behind Mayfield’s rise; if so, Bowles will need to hope new hire Liam Coen can help Mayfield sustain his play should he return to Tampa Bay.
Pat Shurmur
Experience:Â Cleveland Browns, 2011-12;Â Philadelphia Eagles (interim) 2015; New York Giants (2018-19)
Head coaching record:Â 19-46
Shurmur was Andy Reid’s longtime quarterbacks coach (2002-08) working with Reid since 1999 over. Shurmur finally got a shot as an OC with the Rams in 2009 and 2010 before landing with the Browns head-coaching gig in 2011.
What followed wasn’t just a car crash of epic proportions, but two: Shurmur was a disaster with the Browns (9-23 over two seasons) and the Giants later on (also 9-23). While Shurmur latched on again as an OC with the Broncos, he was fired alongside Vic Fangio in 2022. Don’t expect him to get any more head coaching looks.
Leslie Frazier
Experience:Â Minnesota Vikings, 2011-2013
Head coaching record:Â 21-32-1
Much like Bowles, Frazier’s tenure with Reid was perhaps too tangential to put him on here (with Eagles between 1999 and 2002). While Frazier’s stay with the Vikings was eventually not encouraging, he’s stuck around the league as a quality defensive coordinator for the better part of two decades.
Frazier spent the 2023 season working at NFL Network after leaving the Bills, but he is now set to serve as Seattle’s assistant head coach next to new hire Mike Macdonald. Perhaps a strong performance there could allow Frazier to get more head-coaching interviews as he looks for another chance at a head coaching job.
Steve Spagnuolo
Experience:Â St. Louis Rams (2009-11), New York Giants (interim 2017)
Head coaching record:Â 11-41
Before winning a Super Bowl with the Giants as the defensive coordinator in 2007, Spags spent time with the Eagles between 1999 and 2006 in various coaching roles. While his defense is intricate and complicated, that didn’t translate to wins as a head coach, faltering at his stop with the Rams between 2009 and 2011. It did, though, lead him to three championship rings as a DC — one with the Giants and two back with Reid and the Chiefs in 2019 and 2023.
Brad Childress
Experience:Â Minnesota Vikings (2006-10)
Head coaching record:Â 39-35
The curious case of Brad Childress remains the weirdest story of the coaching tree disciples of Reid.
While Childress’ offenses were generally more good than bad, he never really stuck as a coordinator after his exit from Minnesota, landing with the Chiefs and Reid again later in his career.
Childress would retire after 2017 and eventually un-retire to rejoin Matt Nagy (alongside whom he worked with in KC), before retiring again in 2020.
The Sporting News’ Jacob Camenker also contributed to this report.
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