KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The musical chairs among the Chiefs coaching staff appears to have drawn to a close, with the club confirming the retirement of assistant head coach Brad Childress and special projects coach Tommy Brasher. The club also parted of ways with linebackers coach Gary Gibbs
Former Chiefs assistant head coach Brad Childress (File photo from Chiefs PR, Chiefs.com)
“I’d like to thank coach Childress, coach Brasher and coach Gibbs for their contributions over the years,” head coach Andy Reid said in a statement. “Each of them played a role in the team’s success and I wish them all the best as they move forward.”
The club also unveiled promotions for six coaches to new roles on the staff, including elevating Mike Kafka to quarterbacks coach. The team also added two new quality control coaches as well.
Childress arrived in Kansas City with head coach Andy Reid in 2013, spending three seasons as spread game analyst before sharing the offensive coordinator role with Matt Nagy in 2016. Last season he served as assistant head coach, remaining a critical part of the team’s game planning with Reid and Nagy.
Gibbs came to Kansas City in 2009 as a member of Todd Haley’s first staff with the Chiefs. He spent four seasons as linebacker coach before earning promotion to defensive coordinator in 2012. He remained a member of the staff with Reid’s arrival in 2013, returning to coaching linebackers.
Reid said the coaches receiving promotions earned the opportunity to take the next step in their careers.
“I’ve watched them grow, learn, teach, and I appreciate how they have gone about the process of improving their crafts,” Reid said.
The new coaches in new roles include:
- Quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka: The six-year NFL veteran quarterback joined the Chiefs as an offensive quality control coach in 2017, where he served as the quarterbacks coach in all but title. Kafka played a critical role as coaching mentor for rookie Patrick Mahomes last season.
- Inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone: The former assistant linebackers coach arrived in Kansas City in 2013 with Reid after a stint with the New York Jets and college assistant positions at New Hampshire, Florida and Temple.
- Outside linebackers coach Mike Smith: Smith spent the last two seasons as the team’s assistant defensive line coach. He played four seasons in the NFL before entering the coaching ranks in 2009 with Hawaii, followed by a stint with the New York Jets and serving as co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Texas Tech.
- Assistant offensive line coach Corey Matthaei: Matthaei spent the last 10 seasons on Reid’s staff, starting as a coaching assistant in 2008 with the Eagles. He joined the Chiefs staff in 2013 as an offensive quality control coach and spent the last three seasons as assistant quarterbacks coach.
- Pass game analyst/assistant quarterbacks coach Joe Bleymaier: Bleymaier also traces his coaching roots back to Philadelphia, serving as a football operations intern for Reid from 2007-09. He also crossed paths in college at Delaware with Chiefs general manger Brett Veach.
- Defensive quality control coach Terry Braden: Braden served as a defensive assistant for the Chiefs last season, coming to Kansas City from Bethune-Cookman where he served as a quarterbacks graduate assistant.
The team also added quality control coach Jay Valai on the defensive side of the ball and David Girardi on offense. Valai spent the last two seasons as a defensive quality control coach for the University of Georgia. He played at safety collegiately for Wisconsin from 2007-10.
Girardi played quarterback at Geneva College, Pa., from 2008-10. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach for Northwestern University before serving as quarterbacks coach at Lafayette College last year.
“I look forward to working with them as they begin their NFL careers,” Reid said of the additions of Valai and Girardi.
The Chiefs offseason coaching shuffle began with the departure of Nagy to Chicago as the Bears new head coach. Reid promoted running backs coach Eric Bieniemy to offensive coordinator and hired running backs coach Deland McCullough from USC.
Coaches returning in the same role as last season include: defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, special teams coordinator Dave Toub, wide receivers coach Greg Lewis, tight ends coach Tom Melvin, offensive line coach Andy Heck, defensive line coach Britt Reid, defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas, secondary/cornerbacks coach Al Harris, assistant defensive line coach Mike Smith and assistant special teams coach Rod Wilson.
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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