Ranking the Top 5 NFL Quarterbacks Coached by Andy Reid

Andy Reid will go down as one of the most successful and admired coaches of all time, and that distinction is fully deserved, as he’s an innovator who’s played a prominent role in the recent transformation of NFL offenses.

Innovation often fosters growth, which is why it’s no surprise that Reid’s coaching career has coincided with decades of high-level quarterback play.

While he played a role in some of these players’ development, almost all of them eventually became symbiotic. Here are the five best quarterbacks Reid has had the opportunity to work with during his illustrious NFL career.

Related

The 10 Quarterbacks With the Most Passing Yards in NFL History

It’s no secret Tom Brady tops the list of quarterbacks with the most passing yards in NFL history, but who’s next?

1 Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes is well on his way to going down as one of the all-time greats

Still having not reached his 30th birthday, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has already entered the GOAT conversation.

Although most can acknowledge he still has a way to go before catching the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, his career is off to a historic start. Three Super Bowl victories, three Super Bowl MVPs, and two regular-season MVPs put Mahomes in rarified air, and he may have not even hit his peak yet.

Mahomes’ game is truly one of a kind and has already influenced how teams scout the quarterback position. His awkward running motion and diverse release package make for an unconventional yet highly effective play style that no one has been able to match.

Over the years, Mahomes has given no shortage of praise to his head coach, ostensibly understanding the role Reid has played in his development.

As far as head coach-quarterback tandems go, Reid and Mahomes may very well go down as the best, as Reid’s specialization on the offensive side gives him a connection with his quarterback that exceeds that of others like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

2 Brett Favre

Reid was an assistant while Favre was in Green Bay

Before Reid was at the top of the head coaching ranks, he was a modest assistant with the Green Bay Packers, joining the organization in 1992 in what his first NFL job after years at the collegiate level.

At that time, he was working with a relatively unknown quarerback by the name of Brett Favre. The two ascended the ranks together, eventually becoming franchise quarterback and quarterback coach. In Reid’s two years as the quarterback coach with the Packers, Favre flourished and won one of his three MVP awards.

Reid was more of a behind-the-scenes guy during his time in Green Bay, but his influence was certainly felt, and it’s fair to say both Favre and Reid had a pronounced impact on each other’s careers.

Favre finished his career as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks ever with three MVPs and a Super Bowl ring. And Reid’s tenure in Green Bay led to his first head coaching gig, which leads us right into the next entry.

3 Donovan McNabb

McNabb helped prepare Reid for the dual-threat quarterbacks he would work with in the future

After securing his first head coaching job in 1999, Andy Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles drafted Donovan McNabb with the No. 2 overall pick in the ’99 draft.

The Syracuse alum was a true dual-threat quarterback and gave Reid his first taste of working with an unorthodox player. McNabb made six Pro Bowls with Philly and finished second in the NFL MVP voting in 2000, but the most impressive part of his career was how his game adjusted to his physical abilities.

Reid constructed an offense that played to his quarterback’s strengths. However, McNabb gradually became less dependent on his athleticism, making for a different style, as he became a more comfortable pure passer and took good care of the football.

Today, McNabb is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in league history. He was fairly consistent throughout his career and helped Reid get off to a hot start in Philly.

4 Michael Vick

Although their run was short-lived, Reid and Vick complemented each other well

It took a series of both improbable and unfortunate events for Michael Vick to ever wind up in Andy Reid’s hands with the Eagles. After missing the entirety of the 2007 and 2008 seasons due to serving a jail sentence for his role in a dog fighting operation, the once-electrifying Vick had become a pariah of sorts.

After spending the first six seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons, he found a new home in Philadelphia upon his return to the league in 2009 and worked his way back to being a full-time starter in 2010.

That year, Vick had the most complete season of his career, completing a career-high 62.6% of his passes and hitting the 3,000-yard mark as a passer for the first time. He not only took Comeback Player of the Year honors, but he was also the runner-up for Offensive Player of the Year.

Vick made four Pro Bowls across his career, but it’s fair to question whether he got the most out of his immense talent.

The truth is, Vick was always better in theory than as a player. His lack of refinement impeded his ability to reach his sky-high potential. Perhaps, if Vick and Reid had crossed paths earlier, Vick’s 2010 would’ve been the standard throughout his career. Unfortunately, he was already in his late 20s, and his athleticism began to fade in the following years.

5 Alex Smith

Smith reached new heights under Reid

Alex Smith was a bit of a reclamation project, as he was essentially run out of town after the San Francisco 49ers fell in love with Colin Kaepernick.

Smith was a limited player, but Reid masterfully worked around these shortcomings and allowed him to revitalize his career. In his first season with the Chiefs in 2013, which was also Reid’s debut campaign in Kansas City, Smith made the Pro Bowl, the first of three in his five-year run with the team.

In fact, Smith played so well in Reid’s offense that many fans were disappointed when the Chiefs drafted Mahomes, thinking the organization wasn’t in need of a franchise quarterback. Smith led the league in passer rating (104.7) in his final season with Reid in 2017 and spent his remaining years in Washington.

Smith suffered a horrifying injury in the 2018 season, which obviously shortened his career. He didn’t have much of an opportunity to prove he could thrive without Reid, which lost him some points. Still, Smith had a respectable career and paved the way for Mahomes and the current Chiefs dynasty.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

Related

Ranking the 15 Best NFL Quarterbacks of All Time

Where does Patrick Mahomes rank among the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history?