The Chiefs are walking into 2026 in a place they haven’t lived much under Andy Reid: after a bad year, not because of one. Kansas City’s 6-11 finish in 2025 was a real collapse - the kind built on uneven play, big misses from important players, and injuries that piled up late. It was also the worst season of Reid’s time as head coach, which is why the conversation now turns to how fast he can drag this team back.
History says the answer might be pretty fast.
Reid has made a habit of turning the page after ugly seasons. The pattern started all the way back in Philadelphia, where his first team went 5-11 in 1999 and then jumped to 11-5 the next year. That 2000 Eagles team earned Reid his first playoff win as a head coach, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round before falling to the rival New York Giants in the NFC Divisional Round.
He did it again after the Eagles’ Super Bowl XXXIX loss to the New England Patriots. Philadelphia had reached the playoffs in five straight seasons by then, but the year after that three-point defeat turned into a 6-10 campaign in 2005.
Donovan McNabb was limited to nine games because of various injuries, and the offense slipped to 18th in scoring and 19th in total yards. Reid and the Eagles bounced back immediately in 2006 with a 10-6 record before losing to the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round.
The back end of his Philadelphia run kept showing the same kind of response. After missing the playoffs in 2007 with an 8-8 record, the Eagles returned in 2008 at 9-6-1 and pushed all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Arizona Cardinals. His final two seasons in Philly were the only time Reid missed the playoffs in back-to-back years as an NFL head coach, with 8-8 in 2011 followed by a 4-12 finish in 2012 that ended his tenure and opened the door for Kansas City to hire him.
The Chiefs have seen the same bounce once before. Before 2025, the only other missed postseason under Reid came in 2014, when Kansas City went 9-7 and finished second in the AFC West.
That season had its own weird rhythm: a 0-2 start, then a two-game swing back the other way, then a five-game winning streak after the Chiefs slipped to 2-3. They faded late, going 2-4 over their final six games, and finished without a touchdown pass to a wide receiver - the first team since the 1964 Giants to do that, and the only one to do it in a 16-game regular season.
The response was immediate. In 2015, Reid’s Chiefs went 11-5, shut out the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round for the franchise’s first playoff win in more than 20 years, and then lost to the Patriots by 7 points in the Divisional Round.
That is the backdrop for 2026. Kansas City is also in unusual territory as the hunter instead of the hunted, and the draft slot tells the story of just how far things fell.
The Chiefs had a top-10 pick for the first time since trading up for Patrick Mahomes in 2017. If that trade is taken out of the equation, their last top-10 selection came in 2013, when Eric Fisher went first overall.
The numbers from Reid’s career don’t promise a championship rebound. What they do show is a coach whose teams have repeatedly answered a down year with a strong one.
Four times out of five after missing the playoffs the year before, Reid has gotten his team back in. Three of those runs reached the Divisional Round, and another went all the way to a conference championship game.
That’s why Chiefs fans have reason to think 2026 could look a lot different from 2025.
In Other News...
Peter Woods Could Change Everything For The Chiefs Defensive Front
Kansas Citys defensive front already had plenty of intrigue, and the addition of Peter Woods only adds to it. Taken with the 29th pick in the 2026 draft, the defensive tackle joins a room that also includes Khyiris Tonga, Omarr Norman-Lott and Chris Jones, giving the Chiefs another high-end body to develop up front. Woods was once viewed as one of the top tackle prospects in his class, even if his final college season brought a dip in production.
For the Chiefs, the question is less about the talent and more about how quickly it translates. Woods brings the kind of upside that can reshape a defensive line if he settles in, but rookie seasons rarely follow a straight line, especially for interior linemen asked to adjust to the pro game. There is optimism here, of course, but also some reason for caution as Kansas City tries to turn a promising draft pick into a real difference-maker. [Read more 🡒]
Former Chiefs Fans Remember Are Running Out Of NFL Chances
Several familiar names from last seasons Chiefs roster are still looking for jobs as the offseason winds down and teams trim toward final rosters. Kareem Hunt, Deon Bush, Mike Edwards and Janarius Robinson are among the veteran defenders and backs who remain unsigned, a reminder of how quickly the NFL can move on even from players who were part of Kansas Citys recent plans.
Hunts situation stands out because he led the Chiefs in rushing in 2024 before not being brought back this offseason, while Bush and Edwards are left navigating a shrinking market for veteran safeties. Robinsons path is a little different, with the defensive end working back from injury and already drawing interest elsewhere, but for all four players the common thread is the same: late summer is arriving, rosters are filling, and the list of realistic opportunities is getting shorter. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Rookie QB Is Giving Fans A Reason To Pay Attention
Garrett Nussmeier is getting his first real taste of life in Andy Reids offense, and training camp has given the Chiefs a better look at what their seventh-round quarterback can handle. Learning behind Patrick Mahomes in a system as demanding as Kansas Citys is no small assignment, but Nussmeier has already flashed enough in practice to make himself part of the conversation, including a scoring drive that stood out during drills.
For a late-round rookie, the challenge is less about making noise and more about stacking steady progress before the preseason arrives. Nussmeier has leaned on the football background he grew up around, with his father, Doug Nussmeier, helping shape that foundation as a former NFL quarterback and now the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. The next step is translating those habits into more consistent camp reps, and that is where the attention around him will keep building. [Read more 🡒]