Kirby Lee Imagn Images

Andy Reid, Chiefs Dealt Bad News on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Feb 19, 2026 5:08 PM ET

Andy Reid has now completed his 13th season as the Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach. While he has led one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history during that span, winning three Super Bowls in five appearances, the 2025 season fell short of expectations. The Chiefs finished with a 6-11 record, missing the playoffs for just the second time since he took over as the head coach.

Since the offseason began, Reid has seen numerous changes to his coaching staff as Kansas City looks to return to the Super Bowl next season. While the Chiefs retained defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, they lost offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who departed for the New York Giants , and replaced him with Eric Bieniemy. Now, Reid has another opening on his coaching staff he has to fill.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid looks on in the first half against the Indianapolis ColtsDenny Medley-Imagn Images

Rod Wilson played six seasons in the NFL as an inside linebacker, spending most of his career with the Chicago Bears. In 2017, he began his NFL coaching career with the Kansas City Chiefs, joining Reid's staff as the assistant special teams coach. But in 2020, Wilson decided to move back to the college level, spending two seasons with South Carolina and Coastal Carolina.

After a brief college stint, Wilson returned to the Chiefs in 2022, where he spent the next two years as the defensive assistant. And in 2024, he was promoted to the outside linebackers coach job, working alongside some of Kansas City's top defenders, including Leo Chenal, Drue Tranquill and Nick Bolton.

In total, Wilson spent seven years with the Chiefs, helping guide some of the league’s top defenses on their way to three Super Bowl titles. However, on Thursday, he opted for a change, accepting the inside linebackers coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals and leaving Reid without a key piece of his defensive staff.

"The #Cardinals have finalized the hiring of #Chiefs outside linebackers coach Rod Wilson as inside linebackers coach, sources tell @CBSSports," CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz wrote on X. "The former South Carolina and NFL linebacker worked for Kansas City the last four years."

The #Cardinals have finalized the hiring of #Chiefs outside linebackers coach Rod Wilson as inside linebackers coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

The former South Carolina and NFL linebacker worked for Kansas City the last four years. pic.twitter.com/1OBlJSl7LO
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 19, 2026

While Reid and the Chiefs still have some coaching decisions to make, they will also be looking to retool their roster when NFL free agency officially opens on March 11.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: