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On Saturday morning — just as the Kansas City Chiefs were preparing to begin their final training camp practice at Arrowhead Stadium — CBS Sports NFL reporter Jason La Canfora tweeted that the team is in the midst of negotiating contract extensions for head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach.
Was not that long ago at all that the @Chiefs agrees to new deals with HC Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach but hearing the sides working towards new long-term extensions with both. And for good reason. They've transformed the franchise
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 29, 2020
After Saturday’s practice concluded, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt — to whom both Reid and Veach report directly, following the pattern Hunt established with the hiring of Reid and John Dorsey in 2013 — was made available to the media.
Reminded of the work Veach has done to get so many players back from the team’s 2019 championship season — and the big deals he made to lock up Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones and Travis Kelce to long-term contracts — Hunt was happy to weigh in about an extension for Veach.
“We’re very lucky to have Brett as part of our organization,” said Hunt. “You’re exactly right: he’s done an amazing job over the last three years, taking a really good roster and turning it into a championship roster. And I think it’s a roster now that’s going to have a chance for multiple years to be a contender for the Super Bowl.
“He’s done an outstanding job,” added Hunt. “He works extremely well with Coach Reid; he also has a great rapport with our players. So he’s somebody that we want here for the long term. We tend to not talk about contract extensions until they’re done, but suffice to say that we’re fortunate to have Brett here — and hope he’s here for a very long time.”
Translation: “I don’t talk about contract extensions for executives. But yeah... we’re working on a deal to keep Veach.”
Hunt wasn’t asked about a contract extension for Reid — but it’s likely that his answer would have been exactly the same. Reid signed a five-year extension to his original five-year deal in June of 2017 — right as Veach was named general manager following Dorsey’s departure. They are both likely to be under contract through at least the 2021 season — but it’s a safe bet the Chiefs will want to keep the two of them working together for as long as possible.