KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- On any other day, the five-year contract extension for Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid would be something for the team’s fans to celebrate. One of the best coaches in Chiefs history will be around for the foreseeable future to solidify his part in the franchise’s direction.

But there’s no way to make Thursday a good one for the Chiefs, not when another main decision-maker, general manager John Dorsey, was let go. Dorsey, who had one season remaining on the contract he signed in 2013, was the best scout and the boldest thinker the Chiefs have ever had as their general manager.

The Chiefs could have replaced Dorsey with a general manager as good or better. One of the best candidates would have been Chris Ballard, who until January was the Chiefs’ director of football operations.

But it’s too late for that. Ballard left to become general manager of the Indianapolis Colts.

So the timing of the move with Dorsey suggests this was a recent decision by chairman Clark Hunt.

The shame is Dorsey wanted to remain with the Chiefs. He called their general manager’s position his dream job when he was hired and said last winter he still felt that way.

Dorsey had said he wanted to see his son Jack graduate from high school in Kansas City. Jack was then 5. But Hunt and the Chiefs had other ideas.

Dorsey’s decision-making with the Chiefs wasn’t flawless. He cost the organization millions of dollars by waiting for a year to sign Justin Houston and Eric Berry to long-term contracts and with the deal he gave to aging wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

But, the good far outweighed the bad. The decision to trade a pair of second-round draft picks for quarterback Alex Smith was one of his best. Smith stabilized a most important position, one that saw the Chiefs go through seven starters in the previous five seasons before his arrival in 2013.

But there were others. He took a chance on the temperamental Marcus Peters in the first round of the 2015 draft when some other teams shied away. The Chiefs were rewarded with one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks.

Dorsey found other gems later in the draft: Travis Kelce in the third round in 2013 and Tyreek Hill in the fifth in 2016. He allowed cornerback Sean Smith to walk in free agency last year, another choice that showed plenty of foresight.

His legacy could well be this year’s move to trade up and draft quarterback Patrick Mahomes II. Mahomes may eventually fail, but it’s hard to fault Dorsey for trying to secure the quarterback position for the Chiefs long term. It had been too long since the Chiefs had the guts to try, and Dorsey deserves credit for at least that.

Reid’s contract extension means the Chiefs don’t have to start from scratch. Once Reid gets beyond the 2017 season, he’ll be the Chiefs’ longest-tenured coach since Marty Schottenheimer. That’s significant, particularly for a franchise that went through three head coaches in seven years before Reid showed up.

The Chiefs forfeited the chance at the same kind of continuity for their general manager. That’s an odd choice for a team that had four seasons with four or fewer victories in the six years before Reid and Dorsey took control.

At this juncture, it doesn’t seem like the right one, either.