The story behind Eric Bieniemy’s return to the Chiefs as offensive coordinator
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs rehired Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator 1,070 days after Super Bowl LVII.
- Bieniemy left for OC roles and a Bears stint, then returned after quick Reid outreach.
- Reid bets on prior KC chemistry to restore offense; Mahomes wants fresh ideas.
What’s old is new again.
The Kansas City Chiefs reintroduced Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator on a Zoom news conference Wednesday — 1,070 days after his last game in the role.
That was Kansas City’s 38-35 Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
In Bieniemy’s absence, the Chiefs repeated as Super Bowl champions the next season — followed by a runner-up finish and a season that went off the rails in 2025.
The 56-year-old went on to offensive coordinator roles with Washington (2023) and UCLA (2024), then re-entered the NFL this past year as the Bears’ running backs coach. He held the role for an upstart Chicago team that made the postseason for the first time since Matt Nagy’s tenure as head coach.
It all felt connected and familiar Wednesday, beginning with Bieniemy greeting several reporters he recognized before thanking the Bears organization. He also referenced “Big Red” and returning “home.”
Bieniemy finished his opening monologue with a familiar refrain:
“With that said, I’m all ears.”
In a 17-minute session, the most telling point might have been how quickly it all came together. Between Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s Monday comments and Bieniemy’s retelling, the timeline suggests he didn’t have all that much competition for the job in KC.
“Well,” Bienemy said with a chuckle, “to be quite honest, it just happened. We (the Bears) were playing in the playoffs and unfortunately, we came up short.”
Chicago lost a 20-17 overtime heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round. The next day, Bieniemy’s phone lit up.
“Big Red is calling,” he said, referring to Reid. “There were some tough conversations happening with the head coach (in Chicago, Ben Johnson) and with our players, but it was great having an opportunity to work in Chicago, great having an opportunity to work with Coach Ben Johnson, who’s a hell of a coach, who’s going to have a great deal of success, as well.”
Even so, Reid’s offer was one Bieniemy couldn’t refuse.
“Having this opportunity to come back and be put in this chair with coach Reid, that was just something that — it’s tough to pass up on,” he said. “With all that taking place, I’m excited. I’m fired up. It was one of those deals that happened fast, and I’m looking forward to it.”
When Bieniemy left in 2023, the rationale mirrored Nagy’s now. Get out of Reid’s shadow, find success, and let it propel you to a head coaching job.
Bieniemy did emerge from Reid’s shadow, but the second part of the equation proved difficult.
In Washington, Bieniemy inherited quarterback Sam Howell and a shaky offensive line. The coach who hired him, Ron Rivera, was dismissed after one season, the staff disbanded. Under head coach DeShaun Foster, with Bieniemy calling plays, UCLA went 5-7 and was among the nation’s worst scoring offenses.
A return to the NFL with Chicago in 2025 as a position coach turned out to be the new chapter Bieniemy needed, as the Bears’ rushing attack ranked third in production at 144.5 yards per game.
Now the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, Bieniemy said he picked up a few things during his three-year sabbatical from Kansas City. But he cautioned against thinking he’s returned to reinvent the wheel.
“It obviously opened up my mind just to how to view things from a different point of view,” he said. “It’s great, but on top of that, we’ve got to make sure that we’re getting down to what’s best for us when it’s all said and done with.”
In his own recent Zoom, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes described his ideal coordinator, citing that he wanted someone who loved football, would give everything he could to win and would preach accountability. He also wanted someone who brought new ideas every single day.
Nobody is doubting Bieniemy as a slam-dunk on traits one through three, which is why he was presumably Reid’s first call after the Divisional Round. The fourth trait on Mahomes’ list remains to be seen.
“Anybody can present an idea, but more importantly, we need to make sure first and foremost that we’re taking a look at anything that we need to continue to improve upon or continue working with,” Bieniemy said. “Making sure that we’re getting all the answers first, with that, and then just figure out where do we need to go from there.”
Bieniemy later detailed what he took away from two seasons as a play-caller. “When you’re doing it on your own, you learn a lot about yourself,” he said. “The good, the bad, and the ugly — because all ideas are not bad ideas. We just need to be receptive to them. The dynamic of working with people, learning how to communicate and articulate your plan, and getting them to buy in — I think all that helps.”
Asked if he had spoken to Mahomes and star tight end Travis Kelce — who has yet to announce whether he’ll play another season in 2026 — Bieniemy confirmed brief exchanges but said he stayed away from any football talk on day one.
“More than anything, it’s just the excitement of just reuniting,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting back in the grind and chopping wood with them.”
During Bieniemy’s five seasons (2018-22) as Chiefs OC, that trio — along with Reid — went to three Super Bowls, winning two. What’s old is indeed new again, and Reid is counting on the band getting back together to reset the clock.
Bieniemy seems to appreciate the reset, too.
“Any experience you’ve had, whether it’s good or bad, it’s all something that we can learn from,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot over the years. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and I’m just excited to get started.”
