Getty The sideline message Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni delivered after beating the Indianapolis Colts was caught on video.
No, there is absolutely no blood feud between Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Andy Reid. While it’s true that Reid fired Sirianni when he first took the reins in Kansas City, it wasn’t an uncomfortable or nasty meeting.
Reid was filling out his coaching staff at the time with guys he knew. He wanted to bring in familiar faces from his Eagles days. He didn’t know Sirianni, although he did bring him into his office for a face-to-face meeting to let him know he had heard good things.
But Reid had already decided to tab David Culley — his long-time assistant in Philly — as wide receivers coach for the Chiefs in 2013. That was Sirianni’s role the year before so he was out of a job. Everyone moved on peacefully. He pursued a gig with the San Diego Chargers where he met Frank Reich, then parlayed that relationship to eventually get the head-coaching job in Philadelphia.
Andy Reid fired Nick Sirianni when he got to Kansas City.
This Super Bowl is the Sirianni Revenge Game
Now Reid and Sirianni are set to match wits on the biggest stage in professional football, Super Bowl LVII in Arizona. Talk about full circle. Sirianni was asked to comment on his relationship with Reid on Tuesday. Their conversation was a surprisingly good one in 2013 as Reid respectfully let him know his fate.
“That probably wasn’t the time, so I didn’t get a chance to there,” Sirianni said. “It was kind of more so just kind of receiving my fate there. He had a guy that I really admired that he pulled me into the office and asked to meet with me and told me face to face that he had a guy, but had heard good things about me, and I appreciated that, his honesty, his ability to get to me as soon as he possibly could so I could move on and find another job.”
Did Sirianni solicit Reid for tips or advice?
“I didn’t get a chance to pick his brain at all on anything like that but got a ton of respect for Coach Reid and who he is as a person and who he is as a coach,” Sirianni said. “His record speaks for itself, but you talk to anybody, and they think even higher of him as a person.”
Sirianni Discussed His First Meeting with Reid in 2021
Kansas City beat Philadelphia 42-30 back on October 3, 2021, in the only head-to-head meeting between Sirianni and Reid. The Eagles hung around in the first half before the Chiefs pulled away thanks to two explosive Tyreek Hill touchdowns.
Prior to that matchup, Sirianni went into great detail about the way things ended in Kansas City. Here is a snippet from that conversation:
“I really respected the fact that he took time to meet with me, tell me what he had heard about me,” Siriani said in 2021. “But he had a guy, he had David Culley. And David Culley who’s now, obviously, we know all know where he is.
“And so, you know, but he took the time to meet with me. In fact, I thought about that when I had to do the same thing this year when I had to tell a guy that I had a guy in place here and I handled the situation like Coach Reid did for me because I always respected that.”
Andy Reid is 64 and has been a head coach for 24 seasons; Nick Sirianni is 41 and has been a head coach for 2 seasons.
The 22 season coaching gap between the #SuperBowlLVII coaches ties for the largest experience gap in the championship’s history.
Andy Reid Shares His Side of the Sirianni Story
Reid told his side of the Sirianni story during a recent video call with reporters. It jives with what the Eagles coach described. He had heard good things about Sirianni, but he had already decided to go with David Culley as his wide receivers coach. No hard feelings, only mutual respect.
“When I came here, I was told Nick Sirianni — this guy is really a special coach. Really, a good football coach,” Reid said, via Pro Football Talk. “But I had David [Culley]. David was my assistant head coach and he’d been with me for 14 years and so he was coming with me.”
“And I had to make that determination to keep Nick or not. And I knew being as good as he was and the reputation he had, I knew he was going to get something. And so, it’s worked out great for him.”
“Obviously, they’ve been really good for a long time. Great organization. Andy Reid is a great coach and Patrick Mahomes, one of the best players in the world.”
— Early thoughts from Nick Sirianni on the Chiefs
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