Despite the Kansas City Chiefs offense ranking sixth or higher in total offense, passing, and points scored each of the last four seasons, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has yet to be hired as a head coach in the NFL. It’s crazy that Bieniemy has gone four years without becoming a head coach.
Even though teams like the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and Miami Dolphins, just to name a few, have fired multiple head coaches during the last four years, they still won’t hire Bieniemy. Fans have speculated as to why teams won’t hire him.
Although it is not clear who exactly is calling the plays for the Chiefs on offense, multiple non-play callers received head coaching gigs in the past couple of weeks. Some believe Bieniemy does not do well in job interviews. Although none of us are present during these interviews, we hear him in press conferences weekly and there has never been a complaint about the way he communicates to the media.
Others have mentioned his troubled past, though it has been a very long time since some of his incidents. There is also the possibility that Bieniemy has turned down some offers, but would he really keep turning down head coaching offers for four years in a row? Fans are almost out of ideas as to why he can’t land a head coaching job.
Eric Bieniemy has now gone four years in a row without landing a head coaching job in the NFL.
One theory that has not been discussed much is the fact that Bieniemy is coaching a talented offense with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill—three players who are among some of the best at their respective positions and arguably the best quarterback-tight end-wide receiver trio the past four seasons.
Look at Josh McDaniels. He was the offensive coordinator for the Patriots when they nearly went 19-0 and broke several offensive records. When McDaniels was hired to be the coach of the Broncos in 2009, those talented players on offense in New England did not come in a package deal with him to Denver. McDaniels struggled and was fired before being able to complete his second season with the Broncos.
Yes, McDaniels just got hired by the Raiders, but that is after making the playoffs this past season with Mac Jones as his quarterback. It was New England’s first time making the playoffs without Tom Brady in the post-Brady era.
It is likely that teams fear Bieniemy might not live up to the hype because whichever of the 31 other teams he takes over for, he won’t have even close to the same amount of success since his elite trio won’t come with him. With that said, that should not be held against Bieniemy. It’s not his fault that Kansas City’s front office has done a great job of drafting well and bringing in the right players to help this team reach the AFC Championship four years in a row.
Keep in mind, this is just a theory. There are many theories as to why Bieniemy has not become a head coach by now. Fans inside and outside of Kansas City are puzzled by this, leading to many questions and a lot of speculation. Bieniemy might succeed. He might fail without his trio. We don’t know. But that does not mean he should be shunned. He deserves a shot.
But if there is any truth to this theory, then maybe Bieniemy’s best chance at becoming a head coach would be to explore other options and take an offensive coordinator position elsewhere to prove he can help guide another team to the postseason. Bieniemy’s current contract is set to expire soon.
Obviously, it is not ideal for Chiefs fans to see Bieniemy be the offensive coordinator for another team. But if Bieniemy wants to be a head coach, he deserves to do what he feels he needs to do to prove that he deserves a shot as a head coach in the NFL.