KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back Eric Bieniemy to serve as their offensive coordinator next season.
The 56-year-old Bieniemy spent a decade working alongside coach Andy Reid in Kansas City, first over five seasons as the running backs coach and then five seasons as the offensive coordinator. He was part of the braintrust that helped turn Patrick Mahomes into one of the NFL's biggest stars and the Chiefs into a perennial Super Bowl contender.
Bieniemy took over Friday for Matt Nagy, who has been linked to several head coaching vacancies, and who may ultimately end up as the offensive coordinator elsewhere. Nagy recently interviewed for that position in Philadelphia.
"Thank you coach for everything! Made me a better player and man!” Mahomes told Nagy in a post on social media Friday.
Bieniemy left the Chiefs in 2023 to become assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in Washington, where he had more say in the play-calling. But after a disappointing season, Bieniemy was not retained by new Commanders coach Dan Quinn, and he wound up spending the following season at UCLA as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator.
Bieniemy seemed to revive his career as the running backs coach last year in Chicago. He was instrumental in the Bears running for more than 126 yards a game, fifth-best in the NFL, and helping first-year coach Ben Johnson go 11-6 and make the playoffs.
Bieniemy will be taking over a Chiefs offense that is coming off one of its worst seasons in recent history. They averaged only 320.6 yards per game, putting them near the bottom third of the league, and their rush offense was particularly bleak.
Things could look a whole lot different on that side of the ball next season, too.
Longtime tight end Travis Kelce is expected to announce in the coming weeks whether he is retiring. The Chiefs' top two running backs, Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, are both free agents, while wide receivers Marquise Brown, Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster are also poised to hit the market when free agency begins in March.
The Chiefs also have some uncertainty at quarterback as Mahomes tries to rehab from surgery to repair two torn knee ligaments in time for the start of the season. The only other QB on the roster is journeyman Chris Oladokun.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
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