Earlier this week, a report emerged that Eric Bieniemy‘s contract would be expiring with the Kansas City Chiefs. The next direction was then prescribed to him by pretty much everyone with a social media account: “Move on.”
In case you’re a bit behind, allow us to help here for at least a paragraph or two. Bieniemy has been the team’s offensive coordinator for the last four full seasons, and he’s been coaching alongside Andy Reid since 2013. Reid endorses him. His players swear by him. His passion and charisma are on full display on the sidelines each week and in any interviews. And he’s been part of a brain trust that has become the NFL’s closest thing to any new dynasty.
For reasons unknown to nearly all of us, however, Bieniemy cannot get a head coaching job. Some teams have passed him over twice and half of the league has done so once. For the last two years, he interviewed for nearly every single head coach opening and still got passed over. At least this year, only two teams tried (the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints).
Despite the general public’s ignorance of the inner workings of Bieniemy’s interviews, it hasn’t stopped the masses from making up a bunch of reasons based on assumptions and then parroting those over and over again until they feel “true.”
- “The man is a bad interview.”
- “His background is a turnoff.”
- “He’s not really responsible for the Chiefs’ success.”
Not only are all of these unfounded but they’re also unfair.
Eric Bieniemy shouldn’t feel any pressure to leave the Kansas City Chiefs and should stay until he really, truly desires to leave.
However, things are now at a whole new level for Bieniemy. Not only are other teams rejecting him, but now Chiefs Kingdom seems determined to see him leave as well.
While the majority of Chiefs Kingdom seems to have great affinity for Bieniemy and the job he’s done over the last few years as part of the overall creative leadership, there’s a large part of the fan base that believes it would be in his best interest to move on to another team. If the Chiefs’ own success and talent level casts a shadow, then he should step outside of that—at least that’s the reasoning behind then sentiment.
There is a another slight slice of the pie, demographically speaking, that is ready to move on for the sake of it. Change is always better, for some reason, so Bieniemy should go if his contract is up. Somehow the Chiefs’ ranks in total points (4th) and yards (3rd) is found lacking in this scenario. (Yeah, I don’t get it either.)
Either way, there’s this overwhelming push that if Bieniemy could be free of the Chiefs (or the team free of their offensive coordinator), then it’s a move worth making. At this point, Bieniemy has to be looking at every side wondering why no one seems to want hm working for them.
Despite the public push for change, however, Bieniemy should know this: he should stay as long as he damn well pleases with the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s climbed the ladder. He’s put in the time. He’s done the work. He’s proven himself. He’s a leader of men and those who surround him agree. The Chiefs are blessed to have him.
If Bieniemy wants to leave because he agrees that a new challenge would bolster his head coaching resume, then he should do so because he feels invigorated by the idea, not because some idiot owners are demanding more from him than they would other coaches. And I certainly hope he could care less about public sentiment. That’s a nasty master.
Dennis Allen just got a new head coaching gig after putting up 8 wins in 3 seasons with the Raiders. Lovie Smith is somehow an active head coach in 2022. Josh McDaniels insisted on Tim Tebow as a real quarterback his first time around and is back once again—even after ghosting the Colts. It happens every year.
Why aren’t offensive coordinator like Brian Daboll or Nathaniel Hackett dealing with these same obstacles despite the fact that they work with the other two names that would come up when asking about the game’s best quarterbacks?
Fill-in the blanks if you want, but that’s not our purpose here. Instead, it’s important to note that anyone pushing Eric Bieniemy to do anything one way or the other is disrespecting a man who has already been ridiculously overlooked for the last few years. His contract status shouldn’t affect a thing with the Chiefs. If he wants to stay, roll out the red carpet. If he wants to leave, clap for him after the fact when he’s made his decision. Don’t make it for him.
If anything, Eric Bieniemy deserves a place to call home—even if that means a 10th year in Kansas City.