Is this Eric Bieniemy’s last game on the Chiefs sidelines?

Kansas City Chiefs fans can only wonder if Super Bowl LVII is the last game we’ll see Eric Bieniemy on the team’s sidelines.

The only reasonable ways to respond to anything related to Eric Bieniemy these days are to either shrug or shake one’s head. Logic went out the window a long time ago when discussing the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator. But of all of the things that remain unclear or confusing, one idea coming into view is that this seems and feels like the last season with Bieniemy on the team’s sidelines.

Bieniemy has been through the offseason head coach carousel for four years in a row at this point. He’s been asked to dance 100 times yet failed to take the actual floor. Half of all NFL teams (likely more) have interviewed him at one point or another and multiple teams have passed over him multiple times. And despite the experience, the accolades, the success, and the references, Bieniemy is on the outside looking in at a league with serious race issues and a tight good ol’ boy network in place.

But this isn’t about why or why not regarding Bieniemy’s employment status. Not only have we gone down those roads already but it’s a fool’s errand in the first place. Instead, what we’re wondering is wehether or not Bieniemy is finished in Kansas City.

Saying someone is finished sounds like a negative slant, but that’s not at all applicable here. If anything, Bieniemy has been a model coach for the Chiefs offense. He’s climbed up the ranks from running backs coach to coordinator, and he’s helped captain the league’s best offense for a half-decade. His players swear by him and his colleagues appreciate him. Bieniemy has been a positive asset for the Chiefs for a full decade now.

So why would he leave? Because Bieniemy has been clear about his future goals, a man with greater ambitions to command his own ship. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and Bieniemy is as deserving of such a shot as anyone by now. But after so many attempts to make the leap, it feels like maybe K.C. is not the right stepping stone anymore.

For 99 percent of potential head coaches, being Andy Reid’s right hand would have equalled an opportunity (or ten) by this point. It certainly worked for the likes of Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy in recent years. But maybe the path taken by Mike Kafka—one instituted, no doubt, because Bieniemy himself was in the way—is a solid example for EB to follow, a circuitous path that ultimately leads to the desired destination.

Remember, Kakfa went from Chiefs positional coach (quarterbacks) to offensive coordinator with the New York Giants and has been interviewed multiple times this offseason. It feels like he might need more seasoning but he’s earning looks, meeting owners, and making the rounds that will inevitably lead him there.

As for Bieniemy, the only thing he can do at this stage is either remain loyal to the Chiefs and stay in place or else take on a new challenge to further prove his mettle. What if he jumpstarted the offense in Tennessee? What if he took Baltimore to the next level? Both teams are reportedly interested in bringing him in as offensive coordinator, but it’s up to EB to accept the challenge—as unfair as it is.

Here’s the rub: Bieniemy’s contract is up with the Chiefs at this point and the lack of overtures on either side make it seem like everyone invovled knew this was it. Nagy has returned to the Chiefs and remains in place as an obvious offensive coordinator if the spot opens up, although the Chiefs could easily elevate someone else to keep the pipeline moving (Andy Heck, Greg Lewis, Joe Bleymaier).

At this stage it looks like Bieniemy is going to have to swallow the bitter pill if he’s serious about chasing his career goals. And the setup seems like everyone understands that unfair reality. Anything can happen, of course, and Bieniemy deserved a better exit plan, but the signs seems to point to Super Bowl LVII as Bieniemy’s last game with the Chiefs after a decade of excellence.