Eagles give Reid 4-year extension

PHILADELPHIA — Andy Reid received a four-year contract extension from the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday that will take him through the 2010 season.

Reid, entering his sixth season in Philadelphia, has led the Eagles to three consecutive losses in the NFC championship game. He is in the third year of a $15 million, six-year contract signed in June 2001.

Reid's extension reportedly is worth more than $4.2 million per season.

"Andy Reid is an excellent leader of our football team," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. "I think he is outstanding in every capacity: as a coach, as a person, as a leader, as somebody who makes cool decisions and who is willing to make the unpopular decision, which to me is absolutely crucial if you want to win big."

Reid's .638 winning percentage in the regular season (51-29) and his five playoff victories are the best in team history. He's just the third coach in franchise history to last more than five seasons, joining Greasy Neale (1941-50) and Dick Vermeil (1976-82).

"I'm humbled," Reid said.

Reid, 46, joined the Eagles in 1999 as a little-known assistant who worked under Mike Holmgren for seven seasons in Green Bay. He took over a team coming off a 3-13 season that was considered a laughingstock in the NFL.

One of Reid's first and most important decisions was unpopular at the time, but turned out to be a brilliant move. He selected quarterback Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick of the '99 draft — Eagles fans wanted recently retired running back Ricky Williams.

McNabb quickly developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and has been to the Pro Bowl four straight years.

"It's exciting to know he will be here," McNabb said. "Now we can put this behind us and move forward."The Eagles finished 5-11 in Reid's first season. They went 11-5 and won a playoff game in 2000, before winning three consecutive NFC East titles.

"Nobody could be more deserving," Lurie said. "It was tough even getting him to attend this news conference. He doesn't like talking about himself. This man has led this franchise in a spectacular way over the last several years."

Reid earned the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2002 after leading the Eagles to a 12-4 record, despite losing McNabb for the regular season after the 10th game and backup quarterback Koy Detmer the following week.

But the Eagles lost the NFC title game 27-10 to Tampa Bay in the final football game at Veterans Stadium.