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:

Andy Reid coaching tree

Sean McDermott

• Experience: Buffalo Bills, 2017 to present
• Head coaching record: 93-52

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: 185-115; 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.

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 70 games over .500 since he took the job, with a Super Bowl ring and six division titles in a difficult AFC North. Harbaugh, now 62, 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.