Sports

Reid negotiating deal to become head Chief in KC

Andy Reid and the Chiefs should be quite familiar by now.

The two sides spent much of yesterday in negotiations for Reid to become the Chiefs’ coach, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the situation.

The discussions followed nine hours of talks Wednesday that went well enough that Reid canceled plans to interview for other openings, the person told the AP. It was unclear which details were preventing the two sides from reaching an agreement.

The Eagles fired Reid after 14 seasons on Monday, the same day the Chiefs parted ways with coach Romeo Crennel after the worst season in franchise history.

The search for Crennel’s replacement has been led by Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, who intends to take on more responsibility in the day-to-day operation of the franchise. Also on hand was team president Mark Donovan, who has a connection to Reid after spending six seasons as the Eagles’ senior vice president of business operations.

Reid had been linked to the opening in Arizona before the Chiefs put on the press.

The Cardinals now intend to interview former Chiefs coach Todd Haley, a person familiar with their plans told the AP. Haley led the Chiefs to the AFC West title in 2010, but was fired in December 2011 and spent this past season as the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh.

Hunt told the AP in an interview Monday he would have final say on the next Chiefs coach, rather than embattled general manager Scott Pioli. Hunt has not said whether Pioli will be back next season, but indicated his future could be determined by the next coach.

Various reports have indicated Reid would be open to working with Pioli, while other reports have said he would prefer to build his own front office. If Pioli is not retained, the top candidates to replace him include former Browns GM Tom Heckert and John Dorsey, who has been integral in building the Packers into a perennial contender.

The opening in Kansas City is attractive on several levels: The Chiefs had five Pro Bowl players and two others chosen as alternates, despite their 2-14 record, and they have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft for the first time in franchise history.

BEARS: Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has been given permission to interview with Chicago for its head coaching job. It’s unclear when the interview will take place because Indy will face AFC North champion Baltimore in a wild-card round game Sunday.

Chicago might not be the only team interested. There has been speculation the Chargers want Arians, too, though the Colts haven’t confirmed whether they received an interview request from the Chargers.

EAGLES: Philadelphia will interview Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy Sunday in Denver. The Eagles have already interviewed Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong, and also have interest in some college coaches, namely Oregon’s Chip Kelly and Penn State’s Bill O’Brien.

According to reports, however, the Nittany Lions coach decided last night to stay at Penn State. O’Brien had already interviewed for the Browns’ coaching vacancy, as did Syracuse’s Doug Marrone. The Browns, as well as the Eagles and Bills, are also waiting to speak to Kelly.

REDSKINS: Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said he’s “definitely” interested in exploring head coaching opportunities once Washington’s season is over.