(Kansas City) Chiefs coach Andy Reid will give his team about a week off after Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade of champions in downtown Kansas City.
Then he expects everyone to be back at work to start working on next season.
This does not offer much respite.
Reid spoke with a small group of reporters Tuesday, two days after the Chiefs beat the 49ers of San Francisco 25-22 in overtime, thus obtaining a second consecutive title.
No team has won three Super Bowl titles in a row.
“Winning one is difficult. Winning two in a row is very hard, said the 65-year-old coach. Knowing all the effort the guys put in and how they stuck together through the ups and downs is gratifying for a head coach. »
The downside of playing into February is that there is little opportunity for coaches and staff to catch their breath.
After the Chiefs travel to Union Station, where hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to greet them, the players will have a break until offseason training begins.
Coaches, scouts and the rest of general manager Brett Veach’s staff will get right back to work, however.
The week-long NFL Combine begins Feb. 27 in Indianapolis.
The second week of March will mark the start of the free agency period, while the NFL Draft will take place April 25-27, in Detroit.
Veach expressed hope that the Chiefs could bring back tackle Chris Jones and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, two high-profile players on the cusp of free agency. It could have a significant impact on the salary cap, though.
Left tackle Donovan Smith, safety Mike Edwards, guard Nick Allegretti, linebackers Willie Gay and Drue Tranquill, tackle Derrick Nnadi and defensive end Mike Danna could consider going elsewhere.
Some will come back at a reasonable price, but others will have lucrative offers from other courses.
The Chiefs will want to improve a group of wide receivers that broke up the most passes in the NFL last season. The pool of players potentially available at this position is rich with Michael Pittman, Tee Higgins, Marquise Brown, Calvin Ridley and Gabe Davis, among others.
The Chiefs could address some of their needs in the draft—although, again, they’ll be picking toward the end of each round.