Eric Bieniemy Knew His Time With Chiefs Was Reaching Its End

The Commanders' new OC explains how his departure from Kansas City came about.

The Kansas City Chiefs lost former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to the Washington Commanders this offseason, but it's a move that didn't come as much of a surprise to Bieniemy himself.

After four seasons manning his post as offensive coordinator, last offseason saw Bieniemy find himself at a crossroads of sorts. He had struck out on yet another head coach hiring cycle, and he was also not under contract with any team for the 2022 campaign. He ultimately opted to return to Kansas City for a fifth season in the same role, but talking with head coach Andy Reid before the season officially began helped him gain a clearer picture of what his long-term outlook could be. 

Appearing on The Adam Schefter Podcast this week, Bieniemy detailed his exit from Kansas City and explained why he's excited to be working under head coach Ron Rivera in Washington now. When Schefter asked Bieniemy whether he knew that this past season would be his last with the Chiefs, the 53-year-old confirmed it and said that while Reid kept the door open for him to return in the event of no head coaching gig being in the cards, Bieniemy wanted to spread his wings and fly to somewhere else.

"I knew going into the season," Bieniemy said. "Me and Coach (Reid), we talked about this for years and the thing was, he was like, ‘EB, I don’t want to feel like I’m holding you back.’ And I said, ‘Coach, you’re not holding me back because this is a special place.’ And he said, ‘You don’t have to leave.’ He’s always wanted me to stick around. That’s the thing about him — I was always welcome to come back. But he knows me. Eric is always looking for a challenge. Eric is always looking for a journey that's going to help him seek a different way of doing things and also helping me to grow. That way, I can help my circle of people grow and expand as well."

Despite previous Reid assistants such as Matt Nagy and Doug Pederson landing head coaching roles with less time worked under Reid as offensive coordinator in Kansas City, many believed that Bieniemy couldn't land a lead job because he wasn't the Chiefs' primary play-caller. That title is now granted to him by the Commanders, accompanied by full control over how he wants his offense to be set up. The same pieces — Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce — may not be there in D.C., but Bieniemy now has a true chance to display his talents as a coordinator. He tipped his cap to Rivera for allowing him to do that, adding that he's ready to get rolling. 

"He’s going to give me the opportunity to work with the offense and run it how I want to run it," Bieniemy said. "I’m excited about that. It gets me fired up and it gives me a chance to help some of these coaches that we have on our staff to grow and develop together and do it our way."

Departures in sports aren't always positive, as the "breakup" factor can lead to players and/or coaches leaving on a sour note. No such thing occurred in Kansas City, as the team has the utmost respect for Bieniemy and he left with his heart full and exited as a champion with nothing left to prove in that role. He now embraces a new challenge with the Commanders, and one that will help shape the rest of his coaching career for better or worse. According to Bieniemy, going out as a Super Bowl winner capped everything off in tremendous fashion.

"It was a hell of a year," Bieniemy said. "It was a great challenge, but on top of that, it was a lot of fun. Winning that last game kind of put the icing on the cake, and it was an emotional moment. So, I've known for a while, but that was something between me and Coach."

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