‘Chip’ on shoulder after not being retained by Andy Reid

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was fired by Andy Reid when Reid became head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2012 season. And though Sirianni — then the Kansas City wide receivers coach — said he was grateful for how Reid handled the situation, he acknowledged it was a motivating force for him, not being held as part of Reid’s staff become.

“Do you always have that little chip on your shoulder? Sure, yes you did,” Sirianni said. “But that’s me as a coach and as a person – I want to make sure I work my butt off to get as good as I can. And sure, you hold on to some of those things.”

That makes for an interesting subplot as the Siriannis Eagles and Reid’s Chiefs go head-to-head in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox).

Sirianni’s first NFL coaching job was with the Chiefs, and he met his future wife, Brett, while he was in Kansas City. He started as an offense quality control coach in 2009 and worked his way up to receiving coach. But when Reid took over as head coach, replacing Romeo Crennel after a 2–14 season, he brought longtime trusted assistant David Culley from Philadelphia to fill that post.

“Andy came in because we weren’t good enough in Kansas City. And he stepped in and did an incredible job,” Sirianni said. “What I really appreciate is that he brought everyone in and talked to them.

“I haven’t coached with Andy, but he gave me a good example of how to deal with a difficult part of the job: ‘Hey, I have a guy here.’ He was polite. He knew I would be down, so he gave me strength when I was down. I appreciated that and it sounds like he’s like that as a person and as a coach.”

Sirianni landed a job as a quality control coach with the San Diego Chargers in 2013. He got a little revenge that season when the Chargers defeated the Chiefs 41-38 in Week 12, prompting a now-familiar demonstrative reaction from Sirianni.

“I was in the press box and stood on the [table] like this [waves arms and pumps fist]. I was just so emotional about it,” he said. “But over time, as you mature and think about it, ‘Hey, I had to go through this, I had to be in this situation.’ In a way, you thank God for the things you went through because it makes you who you are today.”

Sirianni spent five years in San Diego, where he was mentored by Frank Reich. He was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts when Reich became head coach there in 2018, resulting in Sirianni getting the Eagles’ head coaching gig in 2021.

“Did I want to leave Kansas City? No. My future wife was from there, we were engaged at the time, she had a nice job there as a teacher, she had all her friends there, her mum and dad were half an hour down the road. Of course I didn’t want to leave there,” Sirianni said. “But when I look at it, God has always put me in great positions and guided my path. I know I don’t say things like that all the time, but I know that he did it.

“And so I had to go to San Diego to learn how to be somewhere else, possibly step out of a comfort zone, to meet Frank Reich. Separate there and then be his coordinator in Indianapolis. Everything happens for a reason.”

There’s no shortage of Reid ties in this matchup. Reid was the Eagles’ head coach from 1999 to 2012 and led Philadelphia to five appearances in NFC title games and a trip to the Super Bowl during the 2004 season. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, recently named Manager of the Year by Pro Football Writers of America, started under Reid.

“I wouldn’t be in this position without Coach Reid,” Roseman said. “I think about the fact that I was this 34-year-old guy and I was untraditional and he was willing to have me as his GM and take the time to talk to me and teach me and be patient with this passionate, tenacious to be person. It just means the world. I always cheer for him.”