Should Eric Bieniemy decide to escape Patrick Mahomes’ shadow?

Fair or not, Eric Bieniemy has a choice to make.

A report emerged on Sunday stating that Bieniemy was going to schedule a meeting soon with Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. The subject was his own future with the franchise. Not only was his five-year contract agreement set to expire this offseason, but Bieniemy is also likely tired of riding the same carousel year after year—one that entices him with head coach opening only to leave him standing next to Reid for another year.

To be clear: there are much, much worse places to stand for an NFL than on the Chiefs sidelines these days. The Chiefs have won six straight division titles and are enjoying a run of dominance unlike anything in team history. They’ve been to two of the last three Super Bowls and they’ve. hosted four consecutive AFC Championship games. If not for a total meltdown against the Cincinnati Bengals, this whole week would celebrate the arrival of the league’s new dynasty.

It might not be fair, but Eric Bieniemy is apparently deciding what to do with the shadow of Patrick Mahomes looming over his own success.

To coach for the Chiefs means a near-guarantee of an extra-long season due to the sustained success of the team. It means working with a head coaching legend in Andy Reid and working with several future Hall of Fame players like quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

But therein lies the problem, at least for someone so motivated like Bieniemy. Some assistant coaches or even coordinators are fine serving another leader without ever feeling the weight of responsibility for the entire ship. Others, like Bieniemy, are clearly interested in climbing the ladder and sitting at the top themselves. Bieniemy has been crystal clear about his ultimate career goals, and he shouldn’t shy away from those.

At this point, the meeting between Reid and Bieniemy is happening because the Chiefs offensive coordinator has sat and watched everyone else find a seat in this game of coaching musical chairs over the last four years. The Jets have passed him over twice for the rights to hire Adam Gase and Robert Saleh. Approximately half of all NFL teams have rejected him at least once. It’s an embarrassment to the league that Bieniemy is not running his own team, but here we are—or rather, here he is. And now he has to figure out what to do about it.

Per Adam Schefter’s report, Bienieny is considering a few options. One is to take some time away. That might be a wise decision if other factors weren’t in play as it would allow Bieniemy to survey the land, to gauge his interest, to have his reps lead discussions around the league as to what his client can do to enhance his coaching resume even further. However, that also doesn’t come with a paycheck and it keeps him out of the limelight, which means he’s proving even less than he would if he’d stayed with the Chiefs.

Another option is to return to the college ranks. The problem here is that any university is going to know that Bieniemy is looking at the job as an obvious springboard. Who will want to hire him then? And if he did go that route and chased job leads at the college level, if he failed to get one or some, it would only add to the humiliation of not already having his own team. (e.g. Picture a team who didn’t hire Bieniemy at the pro level pointing to any college rejections and saying, “See!”

Another option reported by Schefter is for Bieniemy to jump at any opportunity with another team. That might mean a lateral move for EB, but it would mean he’s away from Mahomes’s shadow. At that point, Bieniemy would likely feel the challenge of showing what he can do with lesser resources.

Is any of this fair to Bieniemy? Absolutely not. The truth is that other coordinators have not had to prove themselves to this level even if they’d worked with stellar head coaches and/or Canton-bound star quarterbacks. Mike McDaniel landed the Miami Dolphins gig despite far less success and experience, as just one example. That said, we’re far past “fair” at this stage. Now Bieniemy has to reckon with his reality, whether it’s deserved or not.