The Athletic reports Eric Bieniemy is still generating buzz as a head coaching candidate in conjunction with the Carolina Panthers.
The National Football League is far enough into its season to have already reached the turnover of its first head coach, when the Carolina Panthers decided to let Matt Rhule go following Week 5. Rhule’s firing begins to warm up a head coaching carousel earlier than expected, but getting a jump on everyone else might have been the spark of the move in the first place.
Another hiring season apparently means another round of Eric Bieniemy rumors for Chiefs Kingdom, even after Kansas City’s offensive coordinator has been passed over time and again. The Athletic is reporting that Bieniemy’s name has come up among those with the most buzz, and they’ve listed him on the “short list” of candidates to replace Rhule.
Four years of being the rumored favorite or generating interviews will inevitably lead to a lot of doubts this time around—and that is likely true for Bieniemy himself or his representatives. Bieniemy has even been connected to the Panthers before—when they went for Rhule in the first place—but the Athletic also notes, “He reportedly left a positive impression with the Panthers in 2020.”
It’s important to classify what this report is exactly, which is a compiling of what several sources are saying about the search and which coaching candidates are expected to be in the hunt. No one from the Panthers front office is being quoted here. The difference is important.
The Panthers and New York Giants were Bieniemy’s first two interview opportunities after the 2019 season—back when it seemed certain the Chiefs would lose him—and now another team could be circling back around. Will Bieniemy be able to finally score that elusive head coaching opportunity that has eluded him until now? Will a team like the Panthers apologize to someone they’ve spurned in the past in hopes of better days ahead?
If you thought we had plenty of time before these sorts of rumors would swirl, you were wrong. The Panthers have started the engine early on the coaching carousel.