Andy Reid has long been one of the best coaches in the NFL. He has solidified himself as one of the best during his decades-long runs with the Eagles and Chiefs.
Reid is a quarterback whisperer with a knack for creating dynamic offenses. He has developed numerous quality starters during his coaching career and helped Patrick Mahomes quickly ascend to superstardom after making him a top-10 pick.
That said, Reid hasn't just developed players into stars. He has also helped mentor many coaches across the NFL.
Currently, four head coaches across the league have worked on Reid's staff over the years. Several other notable names and coaches have earned jobs in part because of the work that they have done with Reid.
Who are the members of Reid's coaching tree, and how do they stack up against one another? Here's a ranking of the 11 Reid disciples who have gone on to become NFL head coaches.
1. John Harbaugh
- Experience: Ravens (2008-present)
- Record: 188-120
Reid has had a few successful coaches come out of his coaching tree, but it's hard to argue against Harbaugh as the best of the bunch. The veteran coach is the second-longest tenured NFL coach behind Mike Tomlin and has posted just two losing seasons in 16 years in Baltimore. And only once have the Ravens finished with fewer than eight wins under his watch.
Harbaugh is better than 60 games above.500 thanks to his pristine regular-season record and has made the playoffs 12 times. Harbaugh currently holds the record for most postseason away wins with 8, and he helped the Ravens to win Super Bowl 47 over the 49ers, who were then coached by his brother, Jim.
Harbaugh's sustained success and longevity give him the edge over the other coaches on this list, but you can surely make a case that a couple of others could challenge him with a deep postseason run.
But if Harbaugh can get the Ravens another Super Bowl, he will only solidify his place atop this list.
2. Doug Pederson
- Experience: Eagles (2016-20), Jaguars (2022-present)
- Record: 69-69-1
Pederson's record might not be good as Harbaugh's, but he could rival the Ravens coach for the top spot on this list. Why? Because Pederson has a Super Bowl ring from his second season with the Eagles, he has just two losing seasons in seven years as a head coach, and he cleaned up Jacksonville in a hurry despite Urban Meyer's disastrous 13-game tenure there.
The latter achievement may be Pederson's most impressive. The Jaguars were coming off a 3-14 season under Meyer and Darrell Bevell before Pederson arrived. In just one year, he has instilled confidence into Trevor Lawrence and turned them into a 9-8 winner of the AFC South. Jacksonville went on to win a playoff game in Pederson's first year, erasing a 27-0 comeback to beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 31-30.
Pederson has gotten the most out of a few quarterbacks during his coaching career. Carson Wentz had an MVP-caliber season under him before he was injured; Pederson also won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles and has a 5-3 playoff record.
The Jaguars didn't come close to that in 2023, as their late-season collapse prevented them from making the postseason, with the team losing five of their last six games — a stunning implosion that turned an 8-3 record and the AFC's No. 1 seed into a disappointing 9-8 finish that missed the playoffs entirely.
Hopes were sky-high for the Jaguars entering the 2024 season, with owner Shad Khan declaring the roster and staff the "best team assembled... Ever" after signing quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a massive extension. However, the season was a complete disaster from the start under Pederson. The Jaguars opened the season with four straight losses and quickly became the first team to secure a losing record in 2024, with deficiencies on both sides of the ball and a glaring lack of execution in close games. This abysmal performance, highlighted by a season-ending injury to Lawrence and a final record of 4-13, led to the inevitable conclusion of Pederson’s tenure, as he was fired on January 6, 2025, after the regular season ended.
3. Sean McDermott
- Experience: Bills (2017-present)
- Record: 98-54
McDermott has posted an impressive record during his career, but he needs to show more in the postseason before he can reach Harbaugh and Pederson's level.
McDermott has gotten the Bills to the playoffs six times in seven seasons after the team hadn't made the playoffs for 18 years before his arrival. Still, the team has just a 7-7 postseason record and has only made it as far as the AFC championship game twice.
Perhaps McDermott will eventually lead the Bills on a Super Bowl run. He hasn't thus far, but it's worth noting that he hasn't exactly gotten lucky with injuries, as his defenses have often been banged up come the postseason.
As it stands, McDermott looks like the bronze branch of Reid's tree. He deserves a lot of credit for setting Josh Allen up for success and turning Buffalo's defense into a juggernaut, but he needs to get to the big game to solidify himself as one of the best.
4. Ron Rivera
- Experience: Panthers (2011-19), Commanders (2020-23)
- Record: 102-103-1
Rivera has had more of an up-and-down career than the other coaches that rank highly on this list, but he led the Panthers to one of their best seasons in franchise history. They posted a 15-1 regular-season record and made it to Super Bowl 50, all while sporting the league's top-scoring offense and one of its best defenses.
That said, Rivera has only led his team to a winning season three times during his 13-year head coaching career. Despite that, he has managed five playoff appearances, as his teams have twice won their division with sub-.500 records. That — plus his reputation as a high-character individual and an excellent leader on and off the field — is what made Rivera a long-term NFL head coach.
While Rivera's time in Washington was hardly great and dropped his career record below.500, he still helped the organization clean up the mess made by Dan Snyder as the scandal-ridden owner departed the NFL. That's enough to make Rivera one of the more impressive branches of the Reid tree despite his lack of consistent on-field success.
5. Brad Childress
- Experience: Vikings (2006-10)
- Record: 39-35
Childress' time as an NFL head coach was strange. He seemed to be on the rise in each of his first four seasons, as he posted a mark of 6-10 in his first season but made two-game improvements in the win column each of the next four years.
In 2009, the Vikings went 12-4 and looked poised to ride Brett Favre to a Super Bowl berth. However, the QB threw an interception late in the NFC Championship Game against the Saints that sealed a New Orleans victory. From there, things fell apart for Childress.
Childress went 3-7 in 2010 and appeared to clash with the organization after cutting Randy Moss just four weeks after the team traded a third-round pick to acquire him. That led the Vikings to fire Childress midseason.
Childress never got another head coaching job and eventually ended up on Reid's staff again with the Chiefs and Bears before he decided to retire. While the end of his time in Minnesota was strange, he still led the team to two playoff berths and had a winning record with the club.
6. Todd Bowles
- Experience: Dolphins (2011 interim), Jets (2015-18), Buccaneers (2022-present)
- Record: 59-67-58
Bowles only spent a year on Reid's staff, so calling him a branch of this tree may not seem entirely fair. Still, we'll include him here given that he does share that thread.
Bowles' head coaching career got off to a promising start. He led the Jets to an unexpected 10-6 record in 2015 and narrowly missed the playoffs. It looked like the defensive-minded coach had a recipe for success on defense while his offense performed well with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm.
Over the next four seasons, however, Bowles failed to log a winning season. The Buccaneers made the playoffs in his first year after supplanting Bruce Arians, but they had just an 8-9 record and were trampled 31-14 at home in the contest.
In an ironic twist, however, Bowles actually helped the Buccaneers improve after Baker Mayfield replaced the retired Tom Brady in 2023. Mayfield delivered career-highs in both passing yards (4,044) and touchdowns (28) while maintaining an efficient passer rating of 94.6.The Buccaneers won the NFC South going 9-8 and beat the Eagles in the playoffs before being defeated by the Lions.
In 2024, the Bowles-Mayfield pairing produced one of the most explosive offensive seasons in franchise history, leading the Buccaneers to a 12-5 record and a second consecutive NFC South title. Mayfield achieved historic production, setting Buccaneers franchise records for completion percentage (71.4%) and passer rating (106.8), while throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. The offense ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring (29.5 points per game) and became the first team in NFL history to complete 70% of its passes while averaging at least five yards per carry, validating Bowles' decision to bet on Mayfield as the team's long-term leader.
The success has continued into the 2025 campaign, with the Buccaneers currently holding an NFC-leading 6-2 record through Week 8. Mayfield remains the MVP-caliber engine of the offense, limiting turnovers and consistently making clutch plays, which often leaves even the calm Bowles in "disbelief" on the sideline. The Bucs' current trajectory firmly places them among the elite Super Bowl contenders in the NFC.
If Bowles is able to go far with the Buccaneers, he will for sure move up on this list.
7. Leslie Frazier
- Experience: Vikings (2010-13)
- Record: 21-32-1
Frazier spent four seasons with Reid during the latter's early tenure with the Eagles. He was the team's defensive backs coach before he moved on to coordinator jobs with other NFL teams and eventually, into a head coaching job.
Frazier didn't find a lot of success in his three-plus seasons in Minnesota. The Vikings finished 10-6 in his second full season as head coach but failed to win more than five in his other two seasons, as the team's defense struggled once Frazier moved into a larger role.
Since being fired in Minnesota, Frazier has been one of the NFL's best defensive coordinators. He had interviewed for head coaching jobs in recent seasons so he may get another chance to prove himself at that level again. But for now, he is tasked with helping the NFL's youngest head coach, Mike Macdonald, find success in his first season with the Seahawks. Frazier will be Macdonald's assistant head coach.
8. Matt Nagy
- Experience: Bears (2018-21)
- Record: 34-31
Nagy's coaching career started very well, as he led the Bears to a 12-4 record and a playoff berth and was named the AP's Coach of the Year for 2018. However, that promising start proved to be something of a mirage.
Nagy's teams finished with a bottom-10 offense in each of his final three seasons in Chicago. He routinely struggled to get creative with the team's offense and failed to develop No. 2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. He got a chance to work with Justin Fields as a rookie, but he didn't utilize the first-round pick's mobility well at all during his final season.
Nagy has now returned to Reid's staff and eventually replaced Eric Bieniemy as the team's offensive coordinator. Kansas City's offense regressed slightly under Nagy's watch, so he will serve as a reminder that not every branch of the Reid tree is a good one.
9. David Culley
- Experience: Texans (2021)
- Record: 4-13
It's hard to assess just how good of a coach Culley was with only one year of head coaching experience under his belt. It's even harder considering that he spent that year working for the unstable Texans.
All things considered, Culley did well to get four wins in 2021 with the depleted roster that he had in Houston. Still, the Texans ranked bottom-five in both offense and defense during that season, so they made Culley a one-and-done candidate. Perhaps he could have improved with more talent around him, but we may never know.
10. Pat Shurmur
- Experience: Browns (2011-12), Eagles (2015 interim), Giants (2018-19)
- Record: 19-46
Shurmur was consistent as an NFL coach, but not in a good way. He had two-year stints with both the Browns and Giants, and he posted a combined record of 9-23 with each team. He only retained a winning record with the Eagles, where he won his lone game as an interim head coach.
Shurmur coordinated some quality offenses with the Eagles and Chip Kelly, and that's part of the reason that he got a second chance at becoming a head coach. Now, he is back in the college ranks working for Deion Sanders' staff at Colorado. It doesn't seem likely that Shurmur will be a head coach again.
11. Steve Spagnuolo
- Experience: Rams (2009-11), Giants (2017 interim)
- Record: 11-41
Spagnuolo is a good NFL defensive coordinator and was a big part of the Chiefs' Super Bowl 54 and 56 wins over the 49ers and Eagles respectively. It appears that he is best suited for that type of role after he struggled immensely as a head coach during his career.
Spagnuolo coached the Rams for three years and never had a winning season. The closest he came was a 7-9 record in 2010. In his other two seasons, he logged a combined three wins; the Rams finished with a bottom-two record in each campaign.
So, if you're ever wondering why Spagnuolo doesn't get head coaching interviews despite his strong work with the Chiefs' defense, his history as a head coach explains it all.