For the man who lacks ambition, the post of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator is a dream come true. Andy Reid is a legendary head coach who is beloved around the league. Patrick Mahomes is the game's best quarterback. If one can indulge some denial and ignore a shocking six-win campaign in 2025, the Chiefs are a model franchise of rare sustained success.
For a man with goals of climbing further up the organizational ladder, well, being Reid's right hand comes with a curse.
Matt Nagy woke up on Monday morning with every door officially closed on his head coaching hopes, at least for 2026. Despite a surprising number of teams—10—that decided on a regime change, Nagy earned four interviews and zero offers. He was even considered a favorite to be the next head coach of the Tennessee Titans before Robert Saleh won it instead.
Only one person in the NFL can truly sympathize with Nagy's frustrations, and that's the man who replaced him as offensive coordinator for the Chiefs: Eric Bieniemy.
Ever since the Chiefs began their ascent to the top of the NFL, which coincided with the installation of Mahomes as starting QB, the role of offensive coordinator has come equipped with its own ceiling. While it's clear that there are more floors in the building, that particular elevator reaches the end of its climb just short of the head coaching penthouse.
Eric Bieniemy's frustrations were only the beginning
It's been a few years, so perhaps a review is needed, but it begins with Eric Bieniemy's first season as coordinator, who took over for Nagy in 2018 after he left to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
For years, Bieniemy was Reid's most trusted advisor for the NFL's most feared offensive unit, one that catapulted the Chiefs to contender status and delivered the team's first Super Bowl ring in 50 years. He was the epitome of an ideal candidate, especially in a league serving up head coaching opportunities for the Klint Kubiaks and Mike LaFleurs of the world in 2025. Despite being a young coordinator for an emerging dynasty with fantastic results, Bieniemy's epic run of failed interviews is still confounding to this day.
Eric Bieniemy's interviews in 2018-19
When Interviewed? | Team Interviewing Bieniemy | Who Got The Job? |
|---|---|---|
2018-19 | Zac Taylor | |
2018-19 | Brian Flores | |
2018-19 | Adam Gase | |
2018-19 | Bruce Arians |
One year after the Chiefs went 12-4 by outscoring everyone with the league's top-ranked offense, Bieniemy began to earn his first head coaching looks. Four teams would call him in for a closer look, only to decide on someone. Take particular note of the New York Jets here, who chose Adam Gase for the job over Bieniemy. Overall, it wasn't such a shock because EB was in his first year, and it made sense for teams to want a larger body of work.
Eric Bieniemy's interviews in 2019-20
When Interviewed? | Team Interviewing Bieniemy | Who Got The Job? |
|---|---|---|
2019-20 | Matt Rhule | |
2019-20 | Kevin Stefanski | |
2019-20 | Joe Judge |
The Chiefs went on a nine-game win streak to hoist their first Lombardi Trophy in a half-century after Mahomes returned from injury. Bieniemy helped the Chiefs to a top-five offense once again despite being hamstrung by a backfield led by Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy for the year. (No one would rush for 500 yards total, by the way. This is a recurring problem.) As for Bieniemy, he would interview for another three jobs only to be spurned once again.
Eric Bieniemy's interviews in 2020-21
When Interviewed? | Team Interviewing Bieniemy | Who Got The Job? |
|---|---|---|
2020-21 | Arthur Smith | |
2020-21 | Dan Campbell | |
2020-21 | David Culley | |
2020-21 | Urban Meyer | |
2020-21 | Brandon Staley | |
2020-21 | Robert Saleh |
Another Super Bowl appearance for the Chiefs helped establish their supremacy in the AFC, even though they'd be embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. Bieniemy would earn more head coaching interest than ever before after K.C. won 14 games during the regular season. Five of the six head coaching openings interviewed him, except the Houston Texans, but even they eventually relented when it was repoted that Deshaun Watson was upset that he wasn't brought in for a chat.
This coaching carousel is the one that made Bieniemy's failed candidacy such a central talking point. The league's minority coaching initiatives were examined under the microscope, while myriad reasons were explored as to why Bieniemy failed to get an offer. Either way, he went 0-for-6 in this cycle.
Eric Bieniemy's interviews in 2021-22
When Interviewed? | Team Interviewing Bieniemy | Who Got The Job? |
|---|---|---|
2021-22 | Nate Hackett | |
2021-22 | Dennis Allen. |
At this point, a last gasp of interviews offered by the Broncos and Saints failed to materialize into anything meaningful, which made it clear that Bieniemy had to escape Kansas City if he wanted to keep chasing head coaching offers. Too much credit was going to Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce at this stage for Bieniemy to find some HC credibility, too. (Also, Nathaniel Hackett got a job this winter. Say that again.)
Eric Bieniemy's interviews in 2022-23
When Interviewed? | Team Interviewing Bieniemy | Who Got The Job? |
|---|---|---|
2022-23 | Shane Steichen |
Despite the fact that the Chiefs would go on to win their first of consecutive Super Bowl titles following the 2022 season, Bieniemy's momentum had completely stalled as a head coaching candidate.
After another round of head-coaching opportunities largely came and went, with only the Indianapolis Colts calling with some interest, Bieniemy decided a lateral move would be best. His ambitions took him to the nation's capital, where he became Ron Rivera's offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders.
Eric Bieniemy's interviews in 2023-24
When Interviewed? | Team Interviewing Bieniemy | Who Got The Job? |
|---|---|---|
2023-24 | Dan Quinn |
Just to get everything correct as far as Bieniemy is concerned, there is one more (non-Chiefs) related interview in his NFL coaching history. After a disastrous 2023 season that ultimately cost Rivera his job, the Commanders' brass officially spoke with Bieniemy, bringing his total to 16 teams, or half of all NFL franchises.
For a while, Bieniemy was the one who shouldered the blame. Rumors that he didn't interview well persisted year after year, despite the fact that his colleagues and players swore by him. The shadow of not being solely responsible for calling plays was also tossed out as a reason, but the league continued to hire others with the same lack of responsibility. Nothing made sense.
Matt Nagy's failed attempts point to something more at Chiefs OC
Matt Nagy's interviews in 2025-26
When Interviewed? | Team Interviewing Nagy | Who Got The Job? |
|---|---|---|
2025-26 | Mike LaFleur | |
2025-26 | Jesse Minter | |
2025-26 | Klint Kubiak | |
2025-26 | Robert Saleh |
Matt Nagy's (failed) attempts to make the same leap away from the Chiefs that Bieniemy tried have changed the narrative. Suddenly, Bieniemy wasn't just a toxic character or a special case.
Nagy even came with one element that Bieniemy lacked: head coaching experience. He left the Windy City with a winning record (34-31) after four seasons coaching the Bears, including a win for Coach of the Year. He made the postseason with Mitchell Trubisky as his quarterback. There are good reasons why Nagy got four teams to call him.
However, every team has once again looked the other way. Even friends in power in Nashville weren't willing to call his name. Perhaps next year will be different, but with the lack of a safety net back in K.C., Nagy will now have to hope a lateral move can give him some fresh soil in which to plant substantive work that draws the attention and respect of the league's decision-makers.
However, that doesn't solve the issue at hand. Bieniemy and Nagy have proven there's a very real ceiling when working next to Andy Reid. His shadow looms large as one of the league's greatest all-time head coaches. Mahomes is a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback. These pillars make it hard to prove you're holding up the building, too. Only a man without further ambition should feel comfortable in the role going forward.