The Kansas City Chiefs made two contrasting moves Thursday, signing head coach Andy Reid to a contract extension while parting ways with general manager John Dorsey. According to NFL.com, team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, the Chiefs informed Dorsey that his deal will not be extended before its final year in 2017. While the Chiefs were claiming that the Dorsey’s departure as a mutual decision, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com said the general manager was fired.
In a statement, the 56-year-old Dorsey thanked Clark and the Hunt family for giving him the opportunity to be a part of “Chiefs Kingdom” over the last four seasons.
Dorsey expressed confidence that the Chiefs are well positioned for the future, with Reid leading the way. A source said the Chiefs will immediately begin the search for Dorsey’s replacement, considering both internal and external candidates for the job.
Dorsey, for his part, may return to the Green Bay Packers, where he spent 12 seasons as a personnel director, football ops director or college scouting director before moving to the Chiefs in 2013.
Report: Reid signed 5-year extension
On the same day, the Chiefs signed Reid to a contract extension. While the club did not release details of the deal, ESPN.com said the extension is for five years. Before signing a fresh deal, Reid was headed into the final year of the five-year deal that he signed in 2013.
Hunt said the organization is very satisfied with the direction of the franchise under Reid’s guidance. We are proud to have him leading our football team, and I look forward to working with him to bring a championship to Chiefs Kingdom,” said Hunt.
Chiefs flourish with Reid at the helm
In his four seasons at the helm, Reid led the Chiefs to a 43-21 mark with at least nine victories each season, Last season, Reid steered the Chiefs to a 12-4 record and the franchise's first division title since 2010.
“We are going to continue to work towards our ultimate goal of winning championships,” Reid said in a statement. The Chiefs currently have Alex Smith as starter but Reid drafted young signal-caller Patrick Mahomes in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Smith has been the Chiefs’ starter over the past four seasons since he was traded by the San Francisco 49ers in 2013.
Last season, he threw for 3,502 yards and 15 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He also ran for an additional five scores. In his career, he threw for 27,846 yards and 157 touchdowns with 91 interceptions.
