Eric Bieniemy Jr. is a former running back and coach in American football. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and is the team’s all-time leader in rushing yards (3,940) and touchdowns.
He was named a unanimous All-American and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting during their national championship season in 1990.
Bieniemy was Colorado’s offensive coordinator for two seasons before joining the Kansas City Chiefs as running back coach in 2013.
He was credited with the development of Jamaal Charles and Kareem Hunt, with the latter leading the NFL in rushing yards as a rookie in 2017.
Eric was promoted to offensive coordinator under head coach Andy Reid in 2018, winning Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LVII with the Chiefs before joining the Washington Commanders for one season as their assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2023.
What happened to Eric Bieniemy?
During his introductory news conference, coach Dan Quinn announced that the Washington Commanders had fired offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after one season.
Bieniemy was considered a long shot to return, but the decision was confirmed when Washington hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator on Sunday night.
Quinn said he delivered the news to Bieniemy on Monday.
“We won’t work together here,” Quinn said, “but I wanted him to know I respect the work he has done. I wish him all the best.”
Bieniemy joined Ron Rivera’s staff last offseason after serving as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator for five years, including two Super Bowl championships.
Multiple sources in Washington said players chafed under Bieniemy’s leadership, but the offense struggled for years.
The Commanders finished 25th in scoring and 24th in yardage. They performed poorly in both areas compared to the previous season.
What’s next for Eric Bieniemy?
When he did not get a head coaching job during last year’s hiring cycle, Eric Bieniemy made a lateral move and became the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders.
It is probably fair to say that the opportunity did not pan out as he hoped. On Sunday night, the Commanders hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as their new offensive coordinator, making his future even more uncertain.
Assuming Bieniemy returns to the market, his options will be extremely limited. There are no open head coaching positions, and the only two available offensive coordinator positions are with the Los Angeles Chargers (which Greg Roman could fill) and the Seattle Seahawks.
A team with an offensive coordinator in place might make a change now that Bieniemy is back on the market, but that is far from guaranteed. If that were the case, one intriguing option would be to return to Kansas City.
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