KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Now that Andy Reid has arrived in Kansas City and been introduced by Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, the attention turns now toward the next Chiefs' general manager.
With Scott Pioli having been fired Friday morning, Reid is expected to be involved in the process to select the next general manager, owner Clark Hunt said Monday.
That person could end up being John Dorsey, a long-time friend of Reid's who has spent 22 years in the league in NFL player personnel, almost exclusively with the Green Bay Packers, where Reid served as an assistant coach from 1992-1998.
Dorsey and Tom Heckert, who worked for nine years with Reid in Philadelphia, are believed to be Reid's top two preferences for the position, though CBSSports.com, The NFL Network and The Kansas City Star have all reported that the Chiefs and Reid are leaning heavily toward Dorsey.
Interestingly, Dorsey turned down an offer to join Reid with the Eagles in 2001 to be the team's vice president of player personnel. Dorsey reportedly received a raise and an extension from the Packers at the time.
Dorsey also turned down interviews last season with the Colts and the Bears for their general-manager positions.
Dorsey already would have ties to the Kansas City area, other than Reid. Dorsey's wife, Patricia Sexton-Dorsey, is an attorney for the law firm of Polsinelli Shughart, located in downtown Kansas City. Patricia, a graduate of Kansas University, has worked for the firm out of their home in De Pere, Wis., just outside of Green Bay.
Dorsey, 52, would come to Kansas City with impeccable credentials, having tutored under general managers Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson, who rebuilt the Packers in the 1990s and established that franchise as a powerhouse again in the NFL.
The Packers did it through the draft, which is Dorsey's specialty, having served as the Packers director of college scouting for 12 years prior to being named director of football operations last May.
Under Dorsey's watch, the Packers drafted such stars as Greg Jennings, A.J. Hawk, Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Nick Barnett, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Nick Collins, Jermichael Finley and B.J. Raji.
Dorsey said the key to finding talent is simply hard work.
"I always say if you're not out there working, someone else is," Dorsey told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recently. "You have to put in the time to find the players. You have to personally visit the schools and build relationships."
If Dorsey lands in Kansas City, he and Reid will get the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
After a standout career as a linebacker for the University of Connecticut, Dorsey was drafted by the Packers in the fourth round of the 1984 draft. He played five seasons for the Packers and spent a sixth on injured reserve.
Dorsey became a scout for the Packers in 1991 and eventually was promoted to head of the team's college scouting department in 1997. He then followed Mike Holmgren to Seattle in 1999 and was named director of player personnel.
But Dorsey said he missed Green Bay and returned to work for Wolf with the Packers in 2000 as director of college scouting.
