Herm Edwards Fired!

The Kansas City Chiefs fired head coach Herman Edwards on Friday.

Edwards had led the club to a 9-7 record and wild card playoff berth in 2006, his first season with the club after essentially being traded from the New York Jets.

Chiefs owner,Clark Hunt said,"This was not an easy decision. Herm is an outstanding football coach and a man of integrity. We appreciate his leadership over the past three seasons, and we wish him all the best in the future,"

Edwards said he respected "the tough decision that was made to move in a new direction."

"There is not a more gracious family in all of professional sports than the Hunts," Edwards said in a statement released by the team. "To the players and coaches who worked so hard for our team, I appreciate their efforts."

But ESPN.com is reporting former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is close to accepting the K.C. job. This would be a stunner, given how Shanahan is accustomed to running his own show.

Also, Adam Schefter of the NFL Network has reported that Shanahan, whom he is very close to intends to sit out for at least the 2009 season.

However.a spokesman for the team said the Chiefs didn't have a timeline for replacing Edwards, who leaves the team with one year remaining on a four-year, $12-million US contract.

He spent five seasons as coach of the Jets until general manager Carl Peterson was able to procure his services to succeed Dick Vermeil in Kansas City in exchange for a draft pick.

Edwards, 54, played nearly 12 seasons in the NFL as a cornerback before embarking on a coaching career in the late 1980s.

Friday's move continues an overhaul of football operations in Kansas City.

Peterson, one of the longest-serving executives in the NFL, departed last month after nearly 20 years as president and general manager of the Chiefs.

Scott Pioli, New England's vice-president of player personnel for the last nine years, was hired two weeks ago to replace Peterson.