For the third consecutive offseason, Eric Bieniemy wasn't hired as a head coach, despite seemingly being among the most qualified candidates in the league.
What happens next isn't immediately clear, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Bieniemy's contract as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs' is set to expire.
There's no reason to think that Andy Reid and the Chiefs won't be aggressive in their attempt to retain Bieniemy as the offensive coordinator. Bieniemy has been on Reid's staff since he became the head coach in Kansas City in 2013, and has had success since becoming the offensive coordinator in 2018.
But for Bieniemy -- who will turn 53 before next season -- this could be an interesting time to evaluate what's best for his future, assuming he's still determined to become a head coach in the NFL. Might another opportunity present itself where Bieniemy could be an offensive coordinator and a team's primary play caller? Perhaps, and that would seemingly bolster an already impressive resume.
The risk in Bieniemy jumping to another team is that he won't have Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill at his disposal in another offense. That's not to say that Bieniemy wouldn't be successful somewhere else, but he's guaranteed to be at the forefront of the coaching candidates conversation in his current role.
Of course, being talked about by the media and public as a candidate for three years now hasn't gotten Bieniemy a head coaching position. Bieniemy interviewed this cycle with both the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints. The Broncos hired former Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, while the Saints elected to promote defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to be Sean Payton's replacement. Perhaps a change of scenery, assuming he has success, would help Bieniemy to finally land a head coaching job next offseason.
You are left to wonder why Bieniemy would have to jump through all these hoops to get a head coaching job, though. He played in the NFL as a running back for nine seasons, and has held a variety of coaching roles both in the league and at the college level every year since 2001. From a resume sense, Bieniemy appears to be more qualified than both Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy, his two predecessors that got head coaching opportunities in rather short order.
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