The Kansas City Chiefs promoted co-director of player personnel Brett Veach to their vacant general manager job Monday, ending one of the least publicized GM searches in recent history.
It was a curious offseason for the Chiefs' front office, beginning with the departure of highly respected executive Chris Ballard (who left for the Indianapolis Colts' GM gig), through to the surprising firing of former GM John Dorsey and Veach's move up the ranks.
If you've never heard of Veach, you aren't alone. He's as nameless and faceless as GMs come (his Wikipedia page is just two sentences long), but that doesn't mean his story isn't interesting.
Here are three things to know about Veach:
He's only 39 years old
Yet to turn 40, Veach is one of the youngest general managers in NFL history. That record is held by current Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace, who was 37 years old at the time of his hiring.
He's very close with Andy Reid
Veach broke into the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007 as an assistant to Andy Reid. He spent three seasons in the role before becoming a scout for the franchise.
Reid reportedly had great trust in Veach early on, giving him the chance to find the best wideout to select in the second round of the 2008 draft. Veach's recommendation? DeSean Jackson.
Then, after the Eagles fired Reid late in the 2012 season, he brought Veach with him to Kansas City.
Their relationship won't help squash the rumors that Dorsey's firing was the result of a power struggle with Reid.
He once caught a TD thrown by the Chiefs' OC
Matt Nagy finds Brett Veach for a score that started the comeback win over Nova in 2000 #100Days100Plays pic.twitter.com/wG9FnToIiw
— Delaware Football (@DelawareFB) July 31, 2016
This video shows a young Veach - then a wide receiver at Delaware - catching a touchdown pass from Matt Nagy, the Chiefs' current offensive coordinator.
