Andy Reid: Quality of quarterbacks great for the…

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Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Monday that he believes “the future here is still bright” despite the team’s loss to the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game, but one thing that could dim that outlook is the number of good, young quarterbacks that share the conference with them.

The Chiefs got first hand looks at Joe Burrow and Josh Allen the last two weeks and they saw Justin Herbert twice during the regular season. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens missed the playoffs, but he’s won an MVP award and is still just 25 years old. Three other quarterbacks who could develop into strong players joined the AFC as first-round picks in 2021 and Deshaun Watson could resurface elsewhere in the division to make the list even deeper.

Reid was asked about the quarterback situation in the conference and said he thinks it’s great even if it might make life more difficult for his team in the future.

“I’ve said it every week here just that I think that it’s great for the National Football League,” Reid said, via Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star. “It’s great for the AFC because we’ve got a lot of these guys in the AFC and creates great competition. And that’s why we’re in this. But the NFL, which it is important to all of us that it stays at the top of all the games, different sports, you’ve got to have that position. It’s got to be strong and I think we’re sitting in a pretty good spot with all the good quarterbacks.”

After two weeks filled with exciting endings to playoff games, many in the league likely share Reid’s assessment of where things stand as the season winds down. Those who don’t have one of those quarterbacks may not be in that group, but the offseason offers a chance to rectify that situation before they get back on the field.