Pep Hamilton is a coaching free agent again, following another offensive coordinator stay with an AFC South team. The former Colts and Texans OC also turned down an opportunity to interview for the Buccaneers’ play-calling gig.
The veteran assistant, who spent the past two years in Houston, may have a chance to land with this NFL period’s top offense. The Chiefs are exploring the prospect of hiring Hamilton, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets. This year’s assistant coach carousel figures to spill into March, and Hamilton now has two stints as an NFL OC on his resume.
The Chiefs just lost Eric Bieniemy, their offensive coordinator of the past five years, to the Commanders. Play-calling duties eluded the 10-year Kansas City assistant, who was unable to follow in Doug Pederson or Matt Nagy‘s footsteps in using the Chiefs’ OC position as a springboard to a head coaching job. Nagy is expected to replace Bieniemy as Kansas City’s OC, a role he held from 2016-17, but the Chiefs must interview at least one external minority candidate before filling their position. While Hamilton would qualify, it appears the 46-year-old staffer is a candidate to land another position on Andy Reid‘s staff.
Nagy spent this past season as the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach. Hamilton has held that role with six teams — the Texans, Chargers, Browns, Bears, 49ers and Jets dating back to 2004 — and a host of teams have sought OC interviews with the ex-Jim Harbaugh assistant in recent years. Following a brief stint as a head coach in the XFL’s second incarnation, Hamilton being Justin Herbert‘s position coach in his Offensive Rookie of the Year season elevated the coach’s stock. A stay with Patrick Mahomes likely would do the same. Houston’s offense did struggle over the past two seasons, ranking 30th in scoring each year, but the rebuilding team did not exactly feature plus personnel.
David Girardi served as the Chiefs’ assistant QBs coach last season, being promoted from the quality control level in 2022. But Hamilton’s experience would seemingly open the door to him being Nagy’s replacement — assuming the ex-Bears HC lands the OC job — or being brought on in a senior offensive assistant-type capacity.