HEADLINES

Eric Bieniemy

Broncos Request Permission To Interview Eric Bieniemy, Dan Quinn, Others

January 10th, 2022 at 8:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s add five more names to the Broncos HC search. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Denver requested permission to interview Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (Twitter link) and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy (Twitter link) for their head coaching vacancy. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos also requested permission to interview Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo (Twitter link) and Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (Twitter link). Finally, Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos requested permission to interview Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Hackett will interview Saturday, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, one of the 10 candidates linked to this job already, will begin the interview run by meeting with the team Thursday.

[RELATED: Broncos Request Three Interviews For HC Vacancy]

After being out of the game for much of last season, with the Falcons firing him after a bad start, Quinn has moved himself back onto the head-coaching radar. The Cowboys’ defense has improved significantly in his first season overseeing the unit. He figures to generate interest from other teams once more vacancies emerge. Quinn previously refused an interview with the Jaguars until after the season.

Bieniemy has been with the Chiefs since Andy Reid’s 2013 Kansas City arrival. Thought to be a slam-dunk hire in both the 2020 and ’21 offseasons, the 52-year-old assistant has failed to land a head coaching job. Taking over as Kansas City’s OC from Matt Nagy, who followed Doug Pederson in being hired for an HC post, Bieniemy has been in this role throughout Patrick Mahomes‘ dominant run as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback.

Mayo had a standout career with the Patriots, with the former 10th-overall pick earning two Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl ring during his eight seasons in New England. Mayo rejoined the organization as their linebackers coach in 2019. While New England is currently operating without a true defensive coordinator, Mayo (along with Steve Belichick) is assumed to be atop the defensive coaching depth chart.

Hackett served as the Jaguars offensive coordinator between 2016 and 2018, including a 2017 campaign where the Jaguars offense ranked toward the top of the NFL in a number of categories. The veteran coach was canned midway through the 2018 season, and he’s spent the past three years serving as Green Bay’s OC. The Packers offense had a standout season in 2020, and while the team finished 2021 with the best record in the league, both the passing game and the running game have taken a step back this year.

Moore inked a three-year extension with the Cowboys towards the close of the 2020 season, but he’s remained a hot name in coaching circles. The rival Eagles requested an interview with him in January of 2021 before ultimately going with Nick Sirianni.

Eric Bieniemy On USC’s HC Radar?

September 19th, 2021 at 11:39am CST by Sam Robinson

USC fired head coach Clay Helton after two games, ending his six-plus-year tenure. The Trojans may look to a high-profile NFL coordinator to fill the vacancy.

NFL sources believe Eric Bieniemy will be a candidate for the job, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding that this particular position is one of the only college gigs for which the Chiefs offensive coordinator will consider leaving the NFL.

Bieniemy has been with the Chiefs since Andy Reid’s 2013 Kansas City arrival, but he coached at the college level prior to moving to Missouri. The fourth-year Chiefs OC also went to high school in the Los Angeles area.

[RELATED: Bieniemy Addresses Head Coaching Pursuit] 

An interesting subplot has factored into Bieniemy’s accomplished OC run. Thought to be a slam-dunk hire in both the 2020 and ’21 offseasons, the 52-year-old assistant has failed to land a head coaching job. Taking over as Kansas City’s OC from Matt Nagy, who followed Doug Pederson in being hired for an HC post, Bieniemy has been in this role throughout Patrick Mahomes‘ dominant run as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback.

While it would make sense for Bieniemy to stay in arguably the NFL’s top coordinator situation and continue to pursue a top job at the sport’s highest level, USC is certainly a high-end college gig. Bieniemy is not the Chiefs’ primary play-caller, which has affected his perception at the NFL level, but working with Reid and Mahomes essentially ensures he will have a vital role on a top-tier NFL offense. It would seemingly take a monster offer to convince the veteran coordinator to leave these friendly confines.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, citing sources close to Bieniemy, reports that Bieniemy would indeed be interested in the USC opening. Of course, if the school wants to find its next coach by Thanksgiving for recruiting reasons, Bieiemy would presumably not be a realistic target. And, as could be expected, Bieniemy has downplayed his connection to the job.

“[I]f USC reached out to me right now, my answer would be I am preparing for this team to play against the Baltimore Ravens,” Bieniemy said (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk). “And that’s how I roll, you guys know that. I am where my feet are, OK? My job is to make sure we’re ready to play a complete, sound, 60-minute football game where we can come out and win the game.”

Bieniemy is a Colorado alum but has experience coaching in Los Angeles, having been UCLA’s running backs coach in the 2000s. His top college role to date was as his alma mater’s offensive coordinator from 2011-12. A sign Bieniemy will be tough to pry from Kansas City: he withdrew his name from consideration for the Colorado HC job last year.

Eric Bieniemy: HC Opportunity Is ‘Going To Happen’ At ‘Right Time’

June 28th, 2021 at 3:50pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

There was a lot of talk about Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy this offseason, and how he was left without a head coaching opportunity once again. Bieniemy has become a subject of hot debate in recent offseasons, but one man who isn’t sweating over the wait is Bieniemy himself.

The Andy Reid disciple got interview requests from all seven teams with openings this past cycle, but didn’t get one of the jobs yet again. But the Kansas City assistant isn’t getting caught up in the chatter, telling Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports in a recent interview that he’s just fine with how everything has played out.

“I am blessed and fortunate to be working with a Hall of Fame head coach. On top of that, the quarterback ain’t bad, either” he declared. That might be an understatement. “And we’ve had a great deal of success since we’ve been here. So I’m not complaining at all. Would I like to be a head coach? Yes I would. But you know what, it’s going to happen, at the right place, with the right people, at the right time.”

It’s a mature, and wise, sentiment from the man in charge of one of the most prolific units in recent league history. He’s still only 51, fairly spry by NFL head coaching standards, and doesn’t need to rush into a bad situation.

“At the end of the day like I always tell folks, I don’t allow anything to dictate my outcome or my future,” Bieniemy said. “So the only thing we can do, alright, is to continue going back to work and to continue chopping wood.”

The couple of frustrating years notwithstanding, Bieniemy seems confident he’ll become the next member of the Reid head coaching tree before too long. He’ll almost certainly be a top candidate on the coaching carousel come next January.

 

Eagles Requested Eric Bieniemy Interview

February 26th, 2021 at 2:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this year, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that the Eagles did not submit an officially interview request for offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. But, according to the league’s recently-released report, the Eagles did, in fact, submit a formal request (Twitter link via Rob Maaddi of 97.5 The Fanatic). 

[RELATED: Chiefs, Bieniemy Agree To Extension]

Bieniemy, 51, was said to be among the hottest candidates of the cycle. But, he was passed over for head coaching opportunities yet again, even as his high-octane Chiefs offense returned to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs are happy to still have him on board, though Reid would have liked to see him get his big break. Recently, the Chiefs furnished the talented OC with a brand new extension — and, a raise, probably — to keep him in place for 2021.

All seven teams with openings, including the Eagles, asked to talk with Bieniemy. Before the Birds ultimately hired Nick Sirianni, they met with a number of candidates, including Jerod Mayo, Dennis Allen, and the famously indecisive Josh McDaniels.

Chiefs, Eric Bieniemy Expected To Agree To Extension

February 7th, 2021 at 10:49am CST by Rory Parks

It was surprising to see Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who took head coaching interviews with six of the seven teams with an HC vacancy this offseason, fail to receive a single offer. Of course, the Chiefs will surely be happy to have one of Andy Reid‘s top lieutenants back in Kansas City in 2021, but there are some formalities to sort out first.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Bieniemy’s contract will expire after today’s Super Bowl, which means that he will technically be a free agent. However, the two sides are expected to work out a new deal without much issue, thereby continuing the Bieniemy-Patrick Mahomes partnership for at least another year.

The new contract could include a raise, given Bienemy’s success during his tenure as the Chiefs’ OC and his status as a hot head coaching candidate. The only reason that an extension was not already in place is because KC simply believed Bieniemy would land a head coaching job elsewhere, and once it became clear that wasn’t going to happen, the playoffs were in full swing and there just wasn’t time to have those discussions.

Both Bieniemy and the Chiefs continue to expect that he will get a shot as a head coach, perhaps as soon as 2022. Until then, the 51-year-old will remain an integral part of the most prolific offense in the NFL.

Eagles Didn’t Request Eric Bieniemy Interview

February 3rd, 2021 at 2:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Before they ultimately hired Nick Sirianni, we heard the Eagles had requested an interview with Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their head coaching vacancy. That apparently wasn’t the case.

Speaking at one of his Super Bowl week media availabilities, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that Philly never submitted an interview request for Bieniemy, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com (Twitter link). There has been some buzz that the Eagles didn’t want to pull from the Reid coaching tree again (like they did with Doug Pederson), but Reid said he hasn’t heard anything to suggest that.

This would mean the Eagles were on an island on this one. All six other teams that had head coaching openings submitted a request to interview Bieniemy, who has been a hot name the past couple of cycles but hasn’t been able to secure a top job. It’s especially surprising considering the Eagles seemed determined to cast a wide net in their search, interviewing a slew of candidates who weren’t known to be on the radar elsewhere.

Guys like Josh McDaniels, Jerod Mayo, and Dennis Allen, who didn’t draw much known interest from other teams, all interviewed with the Eagles for the gig. Reid has long lobbied for Bieniemy to get a head coaching job, so he was probably annoyed that his former team never actually put in the effort to submit an interview request.

Texans Seeking Second Interviews With Leslie Frazier, Eric Bieniemy

January 24th, 2021 at 10:34am CST by Sam Robinson

Jan. 24: Houston is indeed expected to request second interviews with Frazier and Bieniemy, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Both men believe they have a real chance of landing the job and have begun putting together potential staffs.

Jan. 23: The Texans’ coaching search has brought the most twists and turns of this cycle, but the team may be on the homestretch in its hiring process. They are at the second-interview stage.

Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier is “very likely” to meet with the Texans again next week, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. The parties met shortly after Buffalo’s divisional-round win over Baltimore, and Cal McNair came away from that summit impressed with the veteran coordinator and former Vikings HC’s leadership acumen, per JLC.

Frazier has not been a head coach since the Vikings fired him following the 2013 season. He has spent the past four seasons as Buffalo’s DC, overseeing one of the league’s best defenses in that span. The Texans cannot hire Frazier until the Bills’ season ends. They would be permitted to hire some of the other coaches they have interviewed at any point.

His Sunday opponent, Eric Bieniemy, may remain in the picture as well. He also cannot be hired until after his team’s season ends. Due to the patient (occasionally turbulent) nature of Houston’s search process, many around the league expect a second Bieniemy meeting as well, La Canfora adds. To recap, the Texans have gone from planning to interview Bieniemy (pre-Nick Caserio) to leaving him off their candidate list to changing course and speaking with him this week to potentially making him a finalist.

A Frazier hire would be interesting given the Texans’ Deshaun Watson situation. While Watson has also advocated for Bieniemy, he has shown support for OC Tim Kelly to stay as well. Bieniemy arriving would likely mean Kelly heads elsewhere, but Frazier being a defensive coach would keep a reality where Kelly continues to call Texans plays in play. The Texans blocked other teams from speaking with Kelly this week.

Here is how Houston’s HC search looks as of Saturday afternoon, via PFR’s tracker.

Latest On Eagles’ Coaching Search, Josh McDaniels ‘Prime’ Candidate?

January 18th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

With the Chargers hiring Brandon Staley and the Lions expected to agree to terms with Dan Campbell, the Eagles are one of two teams (along with the Texans) with a head coaching vacancy. They’re ramping up their search, and it sounds like Josh McDaniels is picking up some steam. 

We heard over the weekend that the longtime Patriots offensive coordinator would interview, and now multiple sources tell Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that McDaniels is a “prime candidate” for the job (Twitter link). That doesn’t mean he’s nearing an offer or anything, as Fowler also reports that former Jets coach Todd Bowles will interview today and has some “internal support” in the building. Bowles is currently the DC of the Bucs, and has done a great job with that young defense.

Fowler also writes that Eric Bieniemy does not have an interview planned despite Philly requesting one on Saturday, so maybe the Chiefs OC has no interest in the job. McDaniels, of course, was the Broncos’ head coach from 2009-10, and has been back as the Patriots’ coordinator since 2012.

He infamously almost accepted the Colts head coaching gig a few years ago before backing out at the last minute, but maybe now he’s finally ready to take the plunge. No matter who gets the job, it sounds like they could be walking into an awkward arrangement where the quarterback situation isn’t quite up to them.

Eagles brass has apparently told candidates that they want to bring Carson Wentz back, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (Twitter video link). Not just that, Rapsheet even adds that the “priority with the new coach is to make sure Carson Wentz is as good as he was before.”

If that’s true, it sounds like the Wentz position is somewhat non-negotiable. What that means for Jalen Hurts is anyone’s guess, and the potential for a strained relationship with the front office could be what has kept some top candidates away from Philly.

Texans Interviewing Eric Bieniemy

January 18th, 2021 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans will conduct a virtual interview with Eric Bieniemy on Monday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Ordinarily, assistants in the midst of the playoffs are not allowed to interview. However, Bieniemy has been given the green light by KC and the league office.

Deshaun Watson has been pushing the Texans to consider Bieniemy for the head coaching vacancy. However, the Texans didn’t reach out to the Chiefs offensive coordinator until just last week. At this point, it’s not clear if Bieniemy is a real candidate for the job, or if owner Cal McNair is just looking to mollify his star quarterback.

Watson wanted to be involved in the GM search, but he was kept out of the loop throughout the process. He learned about Nick Caserio‘s hiring at the same time as everyone else, and he wasn’t happy about it. On the plus side, Watson doesn’t have any problems with Caserio — his beef is with McNair & Co. and their lack of communication.

Here’s the rundown of the Texans’ HC search, via PFR’s tracker:

Latest On Deshaun Watson, Texans

January 17th, 2021 at 4:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Things could be coming to a head with Deshaun Watson and the Texans. After a couple of weeks of drama, there is now “a growing sense from people in and around the Texans’ organization” that Watson “has played his last snap for the team,” Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

It felt impossible to believe when trade chatter about Watson first started, but it now seems like there’s a real chance Watson is dealt before the 2021 season. In case there was any doubt about the dysfunction within the building, Schefter said in a separate tweet that a source told him “it’s gone from the least desirable head coaching job (opening) to the most undesirable head coaching job in the NFL. That’s a fact. That’s how that job is now looked at by everybody.”

It’s a pretty grim state of affairs in Houston right now. It looks like Houston’s management, led by owner Cal McNair and recently hired GM Nick Caserio, could opt for a full-blown rebuild, trading Watson for a bounty of draft picks to restock the cupboard that was left bare by former coach/GM Bill O’Brien.

All of that being said, it’s still far from guaranteed that the team has given up on mending the relationship. One source of tension between the two sides was the team leaving Watson out of the search process for coach and GM after previously promising him input. There had been reports that Watson favored Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, but the team only opted to put in an interview request for Bieniemy recently, leading many to decry it as too little too late and merely an attempt to pacify Watson.

But Caserio has apparently done “thorough homework” on Bieniemy, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds that it’s “not an empty interview request by any stretch.” Fowler also calls Bieniemy “firmly in the mix” for the job, so it sounds like he’s got a legit shot. By the sound of Schefter’s tweet, if the Texans and Watson are headed for divorce, it might be hard for them to convince any top candidate to leave their respective coordinator post.

If Watson really does become available, there will be no shortage of suitors. It’d likely take a king’s ransom to pry him loose, so teams like the Jets and Dolphins with an abundance of draft capital would immediately become favorites. We’ll surely hear a lot more about this situation in the coming days and weeks, and we’ll keep you posted every step of the way.

Load More Posts