Even though Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has gone another year without being hired as a head coach, that doesn’t remove the possibility of him leaving Kansas City this offseason.
Bieniemy’s contract will expire with the Chiefs this offseason, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero tweeted February 7. While that doesn’t rule out the possibility of him re-signing with Kansas City, it also leaves open the potential opportunity for Bieniemy to coach elsewhere.
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Bieniemy and head coach Andy Reid are expected to “soon meet and discuss their futures,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s one-year contract is set to expire, as has been the case in recent seasons, and his future in Kansas City is uncertain, sources told ESPN,” Schefter wrote. “Bieniemy and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid are expected to soon meet and discuss their futures, whether they envision them together in Kansas City or apart, according to league sources.”
Schefter also mentioned the options Bieniemy is weighing.
“There are no assurances that Bieniemy will return,” Schefter continued. “He has considered coaching in college, listening to other offers or even taking off a year after a physically and mentally draining season in which the Chiefs fell one game short of the Super Bowl and Bieniemy was bypassed in the head-coach hiring cycle.”
Bieniemy’s Potential Replacements Suggested
The idea of Bieniemy leaving Kansas City may concern some given how he has helped develop the Chiefs into one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL since his arrival in 2018. In those four seasons, the Chiefs have been in the top six in the league in yards per game, leading the league twice in that period. And they’ve been to four straight AFC championship games and won a Super Bowl.
Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson suggested two coaches who could be on head coach Andy Reid’s radar to replace Bieniemy, 52, should he not return to the Chiefs in 2022.
“Because Mike Kafka was hired as the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator, coach Andy Reid may need replacements for him and Bieniemy,” Wilson wrote on February 8. “Former Chiefs offensive coordinator and Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy is high on Reid’s list of potential replacements, per sources. In addition, Reid is intrigued by Kentucky offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Liam Coen.”
Nagy was the Chiefs quarterback coach from 2013 to 2015 and the team’s offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017, the final season in which Alex Smith was the quarterback in Kansas City. During that season, Nagy schemed up an offense that ranked sixth in points and fifth in yards, according to Pro Football Reference.
He was hired as Chicago’s head coach in 2018 and held the job for four seasons before being fired on January 10.
If he were to return to Kansas City, Nagy would be working in a different set of circumstances this time around, especially given that the Chiefs now have Patrick Mahomes, one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Bringing back a coach who’s familiar with Reid and the organization could be the Chiefs’ best option if they chose not to rehire Bieniemy.
Reid on Lack of Promotion for Bieniemy: ‘It Disappoints Me’
In January, Reid spoke about the fact that Bieniemy still hadn’t received a head coaching job in the NFL despite his resume.
“These guys are unselfish guys. EB has had that the last couple years, and it disappoints me that someone hasn’t hired him, obviously, because he’s so good,” Reid said on January 14. “I’m hoping that takes place this year.
“But, you know, the guys, they’re not going to let it be a distraction. They’re going to defer to the team and what that’s all about and then kind of let the chips fall where they may. I’m sure between Covid and our long season it hasn’t been real beneficial for EB in having the opportunity, but I think this year he’s going to end up with one.”
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Decision Timeline for Eric Bieniemy’s Future With Chiefs Revealed: Report