Chris Shea

Chris Shea enters his sixth season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. He was promoted to Vice President of Football Operations / Team Counsel in 2021 after serving three seasons as the club's Football Operations Counsel and Personnel Executive (2018-20). He spent his first season with the Chiefs as the Salary Cap and Legal Executive (2017).

Entering his 24th season in the NFL, he has diverse leadership experience in all aspects of football operations, including coaching, scouting, salary cap management, labor law, NFL legal matters, analytics, and instant replay officiating.

In addition to being an attorney, Shea is a seasoned college and pro talent evaluator with 18 years of scouting experience, including 10 seasons as a full-time pro/advance scout. He has 11 seasons of experience managing the salary cap for the league or teams. Shea has held various roles with the NFL Management Council, six NFL clubs, two NCAA football programs, the high school level, and a law firm specializing in labor and employment law.

In his current capacity, Shea is a senior advisor to Head Coach Andy Reid and General Manager Brett Veach on player personnel, salary cap, legal and staffing matters. Shea serves as a senior evaluator of pro and college players. He advises Veach on roster-building strategy, salary cap management, football administration, analytics, enhancement of player personnel-related technology, football operations staffing matters, and staff budgeting. Shea has input on every roster decision, including involvement in all contract negotiations and trades. He plays a significant role in draft preparations by managing the club's draft board and pre-draft psychological, neurological, and legal assessments of prospects. Shea is also responsible for all legal aspects of the Chiefs football operation. His legal duties include NFL CBA compliance, drafting all the language contained in player, coaching, and staff contracts, negotiating medical service provider agreements, and serving as the club's liaison to the NFL or outside counsel on all legal matters.

Prior to joining the Chiefs, Shea spent the previous two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2015-17), serving as the Director of Scouting Administration/Personnel Scout in 2016-May 2017 after initially joining the Eagles as Director of Scouting Administration/Strategic Management in May 2015. In Philadelphia, he helped develop roster-building strategy, scouted pro and college players, advance scouted opponents, oversaw daily operations of the player personnel department, coordinated data research for player personnel, and managed development of the club's scouting-related technology. Shea coordinated all administrative aspects of the Eagles 2016 draft and contributed to building the 2017 Eagles roster that went on to win Super Bowl LII.

Shea spent seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins (2008-15), including his final four as Assistant Director of Pro Personnel. In that capacity, he served as the Dolphins primary advance scout, was a senior evaluator of all pro players, and oversaw the daily operations of Miami's pro scouting department. He was promoted in May 2011 after previously serving as the Dolphins Player Personnel Administrator (2010-11) and Player Personnel Coordinator (2008-10). In those roles, he combined scouting, legal, salary cap management, information technology, and analytics duties. From 2008-11, he coordinated all aspects of the Dolphins draft efforts.

During 2007-08, he was employed by the NFL Management Council. Initially, Shea served as a Law Clerk focusing on player grievances and litigation. Shea was later hired as the Coordinator of Labor Operations. In that capacity, he reviewed all player contracts to ensure compliance with League policies

and the NFL CBA, advised club executives on player contract and salary cap issues, and was a speaker at the NFL's annual Labor Seminar. He was also an Instant Replay Communicator for the NFL Officiating Department in 2007.

Shea was a Scouting Consultant with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005-06. From 2000-04, he was the New York Jets' Pro Personnel Assistant. Shea broke into the NFL in 1995 as an operations/equipment intern for the Carolina Panthers.

Shea worked in college football from 1992-2000 as the Football Recruiting Assistant at Boston College (1998-2000), the Asst. Offensive Line Coach for Harvard University (1997-98), and a Student Football Manager at Boston College (Head 1994-96, Varsity 1992-93). While at Harvard, he coached four future NFL players including Pro Bowl center Matt Birk. In 1991, Shea was an assistant coach at Belmont High School (Mass.).

Shea is licensed to practice law in New York. He is a member of the New York and American Bar Associations. The Belmont, Massachusetts native has also been employed outside of the football industry as a Law Clerk at the New York law firm of Colleran, O'Hara and Mills, and as a Temporary Corrections Officer in Middlesex County (Mass.) Sheriff's Department.

Education: Hofstra University School of Law (J.D. 2007), Boston College (B.A. 1998). Family: Wife – Kirsten; Daughter – Caitlin.