Chiefs fire assistant Todd Pinkston, two others leave in staff shakeup after disappointing 2025

The Chiefs’ coaching staff will look different next season after they missed the postseason for the first time in over a decade.

Kansas City head coach Andy Reid let go of running backs coach Todd Pinkston, and two other assistants left for positions at the collegiate level, the Kansas City Star reported Thursday.

Defensive assistant Louie Addazio is darting for UNLV’s offensive line coach position, and assistant defensive line coach Alex Whittingham is going to Michigan to coach under his father, Kyle, who just took over the Wolverines after Sherrone Moore’s firing.

Head coach Andy Reid speaks to the media after the Chiefs’ loss to the Raiders on Jan. 4, 2026 in Las Vegas Getty Images

These are not the only coaching staff moves that Kansas City has made this offseason, with the Chiefs firing wide receiver coach Connor Embree earlier this month following his seven-year tenure with the team.

Additionally, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is interviewing for head coaching jobs — having already met with the Cardinals, Ravens, Titans and Raiders to potentially fill their vacancies.

Despite all of the coaching uncertainty, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has remained confident in his head coach, saying that Reid will “have a good plan” going forward.

Running backs coach Todd Pinkston looks on during the first quarter of the Chiefs’ road win over the Browns on Dec.15, 2024. Diamond Images/Getty Images

“I know coach [Andy] Reid, if coach [Nagy] is able to get another job — a head coaching job — he’ll have a good plan of who he wants to bring in,” Mahomes told reporters on Thursday. “For me, I just want someone that loves football, that cares about football, that wants to give everything they can to win.”

“To hold people accountable, and then to bring new ideas every single day — I think that is something we have to continue to do if you want to continue to be great in this league,” he added. “You have to continue to evolve and get better and better. That is something we’ll try to do here.”

The coaching changes come after the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season, and their 6-11 record this year marks their worst record in fourteen seasons.