Newz Forum: FOOTBALL: Reid gets 4 year extension

Reid can afford to buy out that hot dog vendor now.

The coach received a four-year contract extension from the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday that will take him through the 2010 season.

Reid, entering his sixth season in Philadelphia, has led the Eagles to three consecutive NFC championship games, but no Super Bowls. He is in the third year of a $15 million, six-year contract signed in June 2001.

Reid's extension reportedly is worth more than $4.2 million per season.

"I'm very humbled," said Reid, who was given the title of executive vice president of football operations in 2001. "I'm a firm believer that it's not one person, but I'm fortunate to have great coaches and surrounding staff. Everybody has a part of this."

Reid's .638 winning percentage in the regular season (51-29) and his five playoff victories are the best in team history. He's just the third coach in franchise history to last more than five seasons, joining Greasy Neale (1941-50) and Dick Vermeil (1976-82).

"You must have leadership from the top," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. "Andy has been a terrific leader. He understands the salary cap, understands making very difficult and unpopular decisions for the betterment of the franchise."

Reid, 46, joined the Eagles in 1999 as a little-known assistant who worked under Mike Holmgren for seven seasons in Green Bay. He took over a team coming off a 3-13 season that was considered a laughingstock in the NFL.

One of Reid's first and most important decisions was unpopular at the time, but turned out to be a brilliant move. He selected quarterback Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick of the '99 draft - Eagles fans wanted recently retired running back Ricky Williams.

McNabb quickly developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and has been to the Pro Bowl four straight years.

"It's exciting to know he will be here," McNabb said. "Now we can put this behind us and move forward."

The Eagles finished 5-11 in Reid's first season. But they quickly turned it around, going 11-5 and winning a playoff game in 2000. They began a streak of three consecutive NFC East titles in 2001.

"Nobody could be more deserving," Lurie said. "It was tough even getting him to attend this news conference. It's just not his thing in terms of talking about himself. This man has led this franchise in a spectacular way over the last several years and will be doing so for the next several years."

Reid earned the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2002 after leading the Eagles to a 12-4 record, despite losing McNabb for the regular season after the 10th game and backup quarterback Koy Detmer the following week.

But the Eagles lost the NFC title game 27-10 to Tampa Bay in the final football game at Veterans Stadium.

Reid again led the Eagles to a 12-4 record last season, despite numerous injuries, including ones that forced three Pro Bowl members of the secondary to miss a total of 21 games. But the Eagles again couldn't take advantage of playing the NFC title game at home, losing 14-3 to the Carolina Panthers.

Asked if he could be considered a great coach if he doesn't win a Super Bowl, Reid said: "I'll let you guys determine that. Go easy on me."

Reid and team president Joe Banner said there was no urgency to sign an extension. They wouldn't have discussed it once the season started.

"From a negotiation standpoint, it was a 24-hour process," Banner said. "It was either do it now or next winter. We all knew we'd do it sooner or later."

A former offensive lineman at Brigham Young, Reid began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1982 as a graduate assistant. He coached the offensive line and was offensive coordinator at San Francisco State from 1983-85 and worked at Northern Arizona, Texas-El Paso and Missouri before joining the Packers in 1992.