Andy Reid played a massive role in the Eagles making the Super Bowl

Andy Reid may have played a bigger part in the Philadelphia Eagles getting back to the Super Bowl than anyone even realizes.

Whether he is leading the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Philadelphia Eagles long before that, Andy Reid certainly has a great eye for quarterback talent.

Despite being fired by the Eagles over a decade ago now, Reid maintains a close relationship with Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman. While the Chiefs were totally set with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback by then, Reid gave an honest evaluation of 2020 NFL Draft prospect, Jalen Hurts. He liked what he saw, so the Eagles took the former college star in the second round.

Without the former Alabama and Oklahoma star, the Birds are not playing in Super Bowl 57.

Fate would have it, the two teams Reid is most closely related to are playing in the big game.

Andy Reid helped identify Jalen Hurts as a future Philadelphia Eagles star QB

While it is easy to see why Hurts is an emerging star in the league now in year three, he was a very polarizing prospect coming out. Much like Mahomes coming out of Texas Tech, there were doubts about if Hurts’ game would translate to the NFL level. His leadership traits were obvious, but he was more of a runner than a passer at Alabama. He only played one season for Lincoln Riley at OU.

Given that Roseman is one of the best general managers in the league, he was able to build a championship-caliber roster fairly quickly. While changes were made after the 2020 campaign with Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz on the way out, it became very apparent that the Birds had something special with Hurts. Then again, who ever saw him flourishing under Nick Sirianni?

What has happened over the last two years is Sirianni has established a strong football culture in Philadelphia, one that plays into the city’s tough ethos. The Eagles will run the ball down your throat and be relentless on defense. It is why his two star coordinators in Jonathan Gannon and Shane Steichen could be leading their own NFL franchises next year. He has this thing humming.

Ultimately, Hurts had to go to the right situation. The same principle applies to Mahomes. Yes, Reid may have helped identify Hurts as a potential star for Roseman, but we need to credit the Eagles general manager for having the courage to move off the former No. 2 overall pick so quickly after drafting a second-rounder. It is truly amazing what has transpired with the Eagles and Hurts.

If they win, Hurts will be a College Football Playoff national champion and a Super Bowl champion.