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Opening night for Super Bowl LVII was the first time the media spoke with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy since NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport shared on January 29 that a number of NFL teams — four to be exact — have requested an interview with Bieniemy for their offensive coordinator vacancies.
EB took a firm stance on the matter when asked about it on opening night.
“I have not taken any interviews for any offensive coordinator positions,” Bieniemy told Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post on February 6. “I’ve only taken one interview, for a head-coaching position. Right now, I’ve interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts. I thought it went great. We’ll see where that goes. Now, as far as the offensive coordinator stuff, right now I am where my feet are. And right now I’m focused on helping us to win this game this weekend. ”
Commanders Are Latest Team Linked to Bieniemy
As Bieniemy said, only one team brought him in during the 2023 head coaching cycle to interview him for a head coaching role. But what several NFL teams have shown an interest in is hiring Bieniemy to be their offensive coordinator.
The most recent case of this was the Washington Commanders, who requested an interview with Bieniemy for their offensive coordinator vacancy, and Bieniemy has emerged as a “key” candidate for that job, according to Ian Rapoport on January 29.
The Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner on January 10. That came after Washington’s offense closed out the regular season ranked 22nd in the NFL in passing yards (3,783), 21st in total touchdowns scored (35), and averaged 18.9 points per game, which ranked 24th in the league, per ESPN.
The quarterback position is the primary issue on offense for the Commanders. So, head coach Ron Rivera might be interested in bringing in Bieniemy to improve the quarterback play, specifically Carson Wentz, who Washington traded several draft picks for during the 2022 offseason and still has two years and $40 million remaining on his contract.
Would Bieniemy Really Make a Lateral Move?
To some, it might seem odd that, despite being on an expiring contract in Kansas City, Bieniemy is being to linked other offensive coordinator roles in the NFL. However, that could be the best route to Bieniemy finally getting the head coaching job he deserves.
The Chiefs are competing in their fifth straight AFC Championship under future Hall of Fame head coach Andy Reid and with superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With that in mind, it would help Bieniemy’s perception outside of Kansas City if he were to join forces with another team that has less talent on offense than the Chiefs and a head coach that isn’t so involved in the offense. If he were to succeed in that type of environment then it would prove Bieniemy can have standalone success, making him more valuable as a head coaching candidate.
Bieniemy, as Rapoport also shared, has been linked to the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, and Tennessee Titans regarding their offensive coordinator vacancies. The Jets ended up signing former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett as their OC on January 26. The Titans have requested permission to interview Bieniemy along with Chiefs quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Ravens have yet to formally request an interview with Bieniemy but are still searching for their next OC.
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