Andy Reid and Ron Rivera go way back. When Andy Reid took over as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999, Rivera was one of his first hires, making the former Chicago Bear linebacker his linebackers coach.
Rivera spent five seasons in Philadelphia before returning to Chicago as the Bears’ defensive coordinator for three seasons. Five years later, Rivera would get his first chance to be a head coach with the Carolina Panthers.
After Rivera’s second year in Carolina, Reid was fired after 14 seasons with the Eagles and quickly signed with Kansas City, leading the Chiefs to become an NFL powerhouse.
The two old friends remain close, and on Monday, at the NFL’s owner’s meetings, Reid was asked if he spoke with Rivera about Washington’s offseason pursuit of a quarterback.
“I don’t remember talking about the quarterback situation, but we do talk all the time,” Reid said.
J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington and 106.7 The Fan then asked Reid how he thought Carson Wentz would perform in Washington.
“I think he’ll do a good job,” Reid responded and then joked: “Then, I think he’ll run for president after that.”
“He’s a sharp guy, a sharp guy,” Reid said of Wentz.
Rivera and Reid are close, so of course, Washington’s coach asked his longtime friend about Wentz — either before or after the trade. After all, Reid is arguably the best quarterback coach in the NFL.
While Reid was joking about a possible presidential run for Wentz, the new quarterback has the opportunity to be a franchise icon if he becomes the passer to solve the franchise’s longtime problematic issues under center.
I asked Andy Reid if he spoke with Ron Rivera about the Commanders QB search. Reid said he speaks with Rivera all the time but nothing specific about QBs. Of Carson Wentz, Reid spoke highly. Like run for President highly. pic.twitter.com/ymRaqtPiCE
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) March 28, 2022