The Kansas City Chiefs have had a notable guest with them at training camp this week, and Andy Reid is enjoying the company.
Former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden was spotted at Chiefs practice on Sunday and Monday wearing Kansas City team gear. Following Monday’s session, Reid was asked about having his old friend work with the team.
“He loves football and he and I go way back — 30 years so we’ve known each other a long time,” Reid said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “So, it’s good to get him up here. He’s always got good input on things. [He’s] very smart, very good football — great football coach, so [I] enjoy having him around [and he has] great energy.”
In addition to coaching against one another in the NFL, Gruden and Reid worked together on Mike Holmgren’s staff with the Green Bay Packers in the 1990s. The two have spoken fondly of one another on numerous occasions in the past.
There has been no indication that Gruden will join the Chiefs in any official capacity, but it was noteworthy for him to be so visible at an NFL team’s training camp. The 60-year-old has not worked in the NFL since 2021, when he resigned as head coach of Raiders over a leaked email scandal. Gruden later sued the NFL, claiming people within the league intentionally leaked the emails to force him out of a job. That litigation is still ongoing.
Gruden spent time with an NFC team last offseason, so he might be trying to ease his way back into the NFL.