Following another disappointing season with the Philadelphia Eagles, longtime head coach Andy Reid was fired by the team and is officially unemployed after 14 seasons in Philadelphia.
Immediately after being let go by the Eagles, Reid has become arguably the most sought after coach on the open market along with other big names like Oregon’s Chip Kelly, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Mike Holmgren and Jon Gruden. All four of the coaches mentioned are at the top of the list for many teams in the NFL looking for a new head coach, but it appears that Reid might be the first to land a new job.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Arizona Cardinals are closing in on signing Reid:
Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid has emerged as the leading candidate to become the Arizona Cardinals’ next head coach and could be named to the job by the end of the week, according to team and league sources.
Reid’s status as the favorite for the Cardinals’ job was earlier reported by KTVK-TV in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Although Reid’s résumé is impressive, the last few seasons in Philadelphia have been a disaster to say the least. Reid was unable to build a legitimate championship contender after the acquisitions of multiple Pro Bowlers over the last two years. The Eagles acquired big names like Nndami Asomugha to lead the defense along with a stacked offense with the recently re-signed Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy.
The Eagles were considered to be strong contenders in the NFC with all the acquisitions and Vick seemingly having turned things around, but it all came crashing down last season with the team finishing with an 8-8 record while failing to clinch a playoff berth.
The 2012 NFL season was thought to be the year Reid would have this team finally firing on all cylinders, but things only got worse in Philadelphia with the Eagles ending the season dead last in the NFC East with a 4-12 record.
If Reid ultimately gets the job in Arizona, the veteran head coach will be reunited with quarterback Kevin Kolb and might be able to bring a new winning attitude to the struggling Cardinals. After getting off to a hot start this season with four straight wins, the Cardinals lost 11 of the next 12 games and were widely considered one of the worst teams in the league.
