I came across an NFL Coach of the Year list the other day and noticed a few familiar names.
Ron Rivera. John Harbaugh. Matt Nagy.
Doug Pederson’s name was notably missing. But he’s got a Lombardi Trophy, which kind of makes up for the ridiculous Sean McVay snub in 2017.
But seeing all those names got me thinking about the Andy Reid coaching tree.
Who’s been the most successful of his former assistant coaches? Who’s been the least successful?
Reid has seen 10 of his former Eagles assistants go on to become assistant coaches, and five of them are currently head coaches. It’s a remarkable part of his legacy.
Here’s a look at all 10, from best to worst:
NFL
1. John Harbaugh
With Eagles: Special teams coach 1998-2006; Secondary coach 2007
Head coach of Ravens: 2008-2020: 118-74 career record, 10-7 playoffs, 1-0 Super Bowl
Accomplishments: Ravens have reached the playoffs eight of his 12 years and had just one losing season under Harbaugh. His .615 winning percentage is 6th-highest among active head coaches, and his 10 postseason wins are tied for 14th-most in NFL history. Named NFL Coach of the Year for the first time last year.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: Harbaugh’s quarterbacks coach since 2018 is James Urban, who Reid hired in 2004 as an entry-level coaching assistant.
Where is he now? Beginning 13th year as head coach of the Ravens.
2. Doug Pederson
With Eagles: Offensive quality control 2009-2010; Quarterbacks coach 2011-2012
Head coach of Eagles 2016-2020: 38-26, 4-2 playoffs, 1-0 Super Bowl
Accomplishments: Won Super Bowl in second season and has had Eagle in playoffs in each of last three seasons. Won NFC East in 2017 and 2019. His .594 career winning percentage is highest in franchise history, just ahead of Greasy Neale’s .590 and Reid’s .583.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: Pederson this year hired Marty Mornhinweg, who coached under Reid from 2003 to 2012 with the Eagles
Where is he now? Beginning 5th year as head coach of the Eagles.
3. Ron Rivera
With Eagles: Linebackers coach 1999-2003
Head coach of Panthers 2011-2019: 76-63-1, 3-4 playoffs, 0-1 Super Bowl
Head coach of Washington 2020: 0-0
Accomplishments: Got Panthers to playoffs in four of his nine seasons and was named Coach of the Year in 2015, when Panthers went 15-1 and beat Cards in NFC Championship Game before losing to Broncos in Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif. Named NFL Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2015.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: Rivera’s defensive coordinator his first six years with the Panthers was Sean McDermott, who he coached with from 1999 through 2003 under Reid.
Where is he now? Beginning 1st year as head coach of the Washington NFL Team.
4. Sean McDermott
With Eagles: Scouting coordinator 1999-2000; Assistant to the head coach 2001; Defensive quality control 2002-2003; Assistant secondary coach 2004-2006; Secondary coach 2007; Linebackers coach 2008; Defensive coordinator 2009-2010
Head coach of Bills 2017-2020: 25-23, 0-2 playoffs
Accomplishments: Took over a franchise that hadn’t reached the postseason in 17 years and in his first season went 9-7, losing a wild-card game 10-3 to Jaguars. This past year, he guided the Bills to their first 10-win season since 1999 and became the first Bills coach to reach the playoffs twice since Wade Phillips in the 1990s.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: McDermott’s wide receivers coach is Chad Hall, who played for Reid with the Eagles from 2010 through 2012.
Where is he now? McDermott is beginning 4th year as head coach of the Bills.
5. Brad Childress
With Eagles: Quarterbacks coach 1999-2001; Offensive coordinator 2002-2005
Head coach of the the Vikings 2006-2010: 39-35, 1-2 playoffs
Accomplishments: Won NFC North in 2008 and 2009, the first time the Vikings won their division in consecutive years since 1977 and 1978. The 2009 team beat the Cowboys 34-3 to reach the NFC Championship Game, where they lost 31-28 to the Saints in overtime.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: Childress’s running backs coach his entire stay in Minnesota was Eric Bienemy, who played for the Eagles in 1999, the first year for Reid and Childress with the Eagles, and is now Reid’s offensive coordinator.
Where is he now? Childress retired after spending 2019 as Matt Nagy’s senior offensive assistant with the Bears.
6. Matt Nagy
With Eagles: Coaching intern 2008-2009; Coaching assistant 2010; Offensive quality control 2011-12
Head coach of Bears 2018-2020: 20-12, 0-1 in playoffs
Accomplishments: The 2018 Bears finished with a 9-1 run to win NFC North at 12-4 in Nagy’s first season and he became the first Bears playoff team to reach the postseason in eight years. Became the first Bears coach to reach the postseason in his first year since Paddy Driscoll in 1956 and was named NFL Coach of the Year. The Bears lost 16-15 to the Eagles in a home wild-card game. Started 2019 3-1 before going 4-7 the rest of the way.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: Nagy’s offensive line coach is Juan Castillo, who was Reid’s offensive line coach and defensive coordinator (and has also worked under Harbaugh and McDermott).
Where is he now? Beginning 3rd year as head coach of the Bears.
7. Leslie Frazier
With Eagles: Secondary coach 1999-2002
Head coach of Vikings 2010-2013: 21-32-1, 0-1 playoffs
Accomplishments: Replaced Childress when he was fired 10 games into the 2010 season. The Vikings reached the playoffs once in his three full seasons, going 10-6 in 2012 and finishing second in NFC North before losing to the Packers 24-10 in a wild-card game at Lambeau.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: Childress hired Frazier, who he had worked with under Reid for four years, as his defensive coordinator with the Vikings in 2007. Frazier eventually replaced Childress 10 weeks into the 2010 season.
Where is he now? Beginning 4th year as Bills’ defensive coordinator under McDermott.
8. Todd Bowles
With Eagles: Secondary coach 2012 [Week 1 through Week 6]; Defensive coordinator 2012 [Week 7 through Week 17]
Head coach of the Jets 2015-2018: 26-41
Accomplishments: Jets’ 10 wins in 2015 matched most in franchise history by a first-year coach and ranked No. 4 in NFL in defense. But Jets then won just 14 games over the next three years, the first time they had won five or fewer games in three straight seasons since 1975 through 1977.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: When Bowles was hired as the Cards’ defensive coordinator in 2013, his linebackers coach was Mike Caldwell, who played for Reid from 1999 through 2001 and coached under Reid in 2011 and 2012.
Where is he now? Beginning 2nd year as Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians, who was his coach at Temple.
9. Pat Shurmur
With Eagles: Tight ends / offensive assistant 1999-2001; Quarterbacks 2002-2008; Offensive coordinator 2013-2015; Interim head coach [Week 17 2013]
Head coach of the Browns 2011-2012: 9-23
Head coach of the Giants 2018-2019: 9-23
Accomplishments: Shurmur has the unique distinction of posting the exact same record as head coach of two different franchises. His .292 career winning percentage is 7th-worst in NFL history.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: Shurmur was hired in Cleveland by Mike Holmgren, who Reid coached under with the Packers.
Where is he now? Beginning 1st year as Broncos’ offensive coordinator under Vic Fangio.
10. Steve Spagnuolo
With Eagles: Defensive assistant quality control 1999-2000; Secondary coach 2001-2003; Linebackers coach 2004-2006
Head coach of the Rams 2009-2011: 11-41
Interim head coach of the Giants 2017: 1-3
Accomplishments: Spags went 1-15 in his first year with the Rams and 2-14 in his third year. In between the Rams were 7-9, giving him a career .212 winning percentage, 3rd-worst in NFL history. The Rams have been around 79 years, and Spags is responsible for two of their three-worst seasons.
Interesting Andy Reid connection: Spags’ offensive coordinator with the Rams was Shurmur.
Where is he now? Beginning 2nd year as Chiefs’ defensive coordinator under Reid.