Andy Reid showed Nick Sirianni the door — but Sirianni would be walking right through it a few years later.
When a head coach takes over a new squad, changes are often made to the organization, the players and the staff. Said coaches will hire their own guys, both new and experienced — and maybe move on from some smart football minds in the process.
When the Chiefs and Eagles take the field in Super Bowl 57, the coaches are a prime example of it that. While Nick Sirianni never actively coached underneath Andy Reid, the Chiefs coach actually decided against retaining Sirianni when he took the job in Kansas City in 2013.
Sirianni, who was the Chiefs' wide receivers coach under Todd Haley, would be replaced by longtime Reid lieutenant David Culley. Sirianni worked his way up from offensive quality control coach in 2009, making it to wide receivers coach in 2012.
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In 2021, Sirianni spoke on getting canned, and recalled the meeting that he had with Reid.
"Coach Reid was charged with the task of telling me I wasn't working there anymore," Sirianni said. "So, you know, but he was awesome. It was actually an awesome conversation I had with him. And I really respected the fact that he took time to meet with me, tell me what he had heard about me."
Following the Eagles NFC championship win, Sirianni said he didn't get a chance to speak with Reid in depth, but remembers the meeting he had with the coach fondly.
Andy Reid fired Nick Sirianni when he was hired as head coach of the Chiefs. Here’s what “the most unlikable coach in the league” had to say about it. pic.twitter.com/3VvGuNTN3u
— 𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚜 〽️ (@BirdGangHuss) January 31, 2023
I really admired that he pulled me into the office and asked to meet with me, and told me face-to-face he had a different guy, but he had heard good things about me. I appreciated that, his honesty, his ability to get to me as soon as he possibly could so I could move on and find another job. I didn't get a chance to pick his brain and all, but I got a ton of coach of respect for Coach Reid, and who he is as a person and who he is as a coach. …
So, do I know him all that well? No. But I have a high amount of respect for him.
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On his own side, Reid has nothing but good things to say about the guy he moved on from.
"When I came here, I was told Nick Sirianni — this guy is really a special coach. Really, a good football coach," Reid said recently. "But I had David [Culley]. David was my assistant head coach and he’d been with me for 14 years and so he was coming with me. And I had to make that determination to keep Nick or not.
"And I knew being as good as he was and the reputation he had, I knew he was going to get something. And so, it’s worked out great for him."
Fate would lead them back together to Super Bowl 57, and through it all, there are no hard feelings between both sides — but you can bet it'll feel a bit sweet if Sirianni gets a one-up on a guy who gave him his walking papers.