Eric Bieniemy‘s status with the Chiefs briefly entered murky territory, with the longtime Kansas City offensive coordinator’s contract expiring. The sides will continue to work together, according to NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha, who tweets Bieniemy will be back for a fifth season as Chiefs OC.
Bieniemy agreed to a one-year extension with the Chiefs, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. A Chiefs assistant throughout Andy Reid‘s nine-year tenure, Bieniemy has been the team’s OC throughout Patrick Mahomes‘ QB1 run.
A fixture on head-coaching carousels in recent years, Bieniemy has been unable to land a top job. This year, interest was not as widespread; only the Broncos and Saints interviewed the veteran Reid lieutenant. Bieniemy, 52, was not a finalist for the Denver job, and New Orleans went with an in-house promotion (Dennis Allen). As a result, the Chiefs will once again ensure continuity.
For the first time in Bieniemy’s Kansas City OC stint, some doubt surfaced about his role. A report indicated the 2021 season was somewhat trying for Bieniemy mentally and the prospect of sitting out 2022 or returning to the college ranks emerged. Bieniemy’s inability to secure a head-coaching job has been a lightning-rod topic for a bit now. Given the Chiefs’ performance on offense over the past four seasons, Bieniemy should not have been expected to be readying for a fifth year as K.C.’s OC. Reid promoted Bieniemy from running backs coach to OC in 2018, after Matt Nagy became the Bears’ head coach. Nagy followed Doug Pederson in being a Reid OC to land a coaching job.
The Reid-Mahomes-Bieniemy partnership has delivered one of the NFL’s all-time great aerial attacks, with Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill having a significant say in the Chiefs’ success as well. Kansas City’s offense hit a bit of a road block this year around the midseason point, but the team still ended the season in the top five in total offense and points scored.
The Chiefs have boasted a top-six offense in each year of Bieniemy’s OC stay, though Reid being the team’s primary play-caller has undoubtedly affected Bieniemy’s chances of being hired as a head coach elsewhere. Kansas City is also coming off a shocking ending to its season, which featured Cincinnati erase an 18-point deficit in the AFC championship game.
This may be an unpopular comment here…. But if a team wanted him as a head coach, he would have gotten a job somewhere. It’s a BUSINESS. He will be a head coach someday there is no doubt. Maybe he’s bombing his interviews? It bothers me when people pull the race card as to why he doesn’t have a HC job yet. One day he will be a head coach.
I feel like people are overestimating his achievements. Maybe he really is a great coach. But he doesn’t call plays. Maybe he’s benefitting more from Andy Reid and a generational QB than anything he actually brings to the table himself.
I think he’s just not doing well in interviews
Why do conversations always present being the “head coach” as the mecca? Wouldn’t oc with a super bowl ring be more ______ than being hc of a 4-14 team for 3 years only to get s-canned? The highest step on the ladder isn’t always the best thing for one’s life.
That photo doesn’t appear to be, you know, Eric Bieniemy.
Don’t know what photo you’re looking at.
The photo posted in the body of the article appears to be former coach Deland McCullough, not Bieniemy.
He will never be a HC and the face of a franchise.
They shouldn’t have brought him back. He’s a disruption in the lockeroom. He totally cost the Chiefs a super bowl this year with that idiot play call right before the half. Mahomes needs a new OC.Bienemy does nothing for the Chiefs. Nagy would have been a good one to bring back
It’s obvious the Chiefs really didn’t want him back. They were hoping he would latch on with someone else. I believe they said one more year. You have one year to find a new job somewhere else. Reid showed loyalty
It’s stunning that in the year 2022, the main three problems within the world is Disease, War, and Racism. How can this man not get a HC job? It makes no sense! year after year nobody wants him, but let’s hire Mike McDaniel, a so called “black man” F*ck these NFL owners with their white men, boys club, attiude.
I hope you’re joking. God I hope you’re joking.
but calling someone a “so called” minority isnt racist at all…