When the Philadelphia Eagles traded up in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft to take quarterback Matt Barkley, reports emerged that they did so because the Kansas City Chiefs were set to take the former USC standout. Chiefs coach Andy Reid knows how rumors like that get started, and he finds them laughable.
"Well, we weren't going there," Reid told WHB-FM in Kansas City this week. "I actually was on the phone with Nick Saban from Alabama before that day ever started, so that's just not the direction. We had pinpointed (Alabama linebacker) Nico (Johnson) and that's who we were going after.
"I know how rumors start and how people justify picks and all this other stuff, but I think if you look at our roster, we've got Akeem Jordan at middle linebacker; that's the only player that we have there. ... That rumor started and I heard it, and I had to laugh at it. That wasn't even in the picture."
Translation: My old employers in Philadelphia were lying to reporters in order to make themselves look better, and I don't care who knows about it. We like this new Andy Reid.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
