For years, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has been considered a prime candidate for a head coaching position. And for years, Bieniemy has been passed over.
"Eric Bieniemy has been tremendous for us and I think he's tremendous for the National Football League," Kansas City coach Andy Reid said of his longtime assistant after the Super Bowl. "I’m hoping he has an opportunity to go somewhere and do his thing, where he can run the show and be Eric Bieniemy.”
Now, Bieniemy will have a new opportunity after he and the Commanders have reportedly agreed to terms on a deal to make him their assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
Reactions from the NFL were decidedly mixed, with widespread apathy toward what many saw as a lateral move.
ESPN analyst Louis Riddick was particularly vocal in his condemnation of the fact that Bieniemy still hasn’t landed a head coaching job.
Another ESPN analyst, Robert Griffin III, pointed indirectly to the Texans' and Giants' hirings of David Culley and Joe Judge in years past, questioning why Bieniemy had never been afforded the chances they were.
Longtime Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Clarence Hill Jr. recalled an old interview with legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson about obstacles facing Black coaches.
Some publications, such as the USA Today, went as far as calling the hire "embarrassing for the NFL."
Hall of Fame defensive back Charles Woodson summarized the position of many, writing that the nature of the move made him "sick."
