It’s bizarre that Eric Bieniemy still hasn’t earned a head coaching job. The Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator has put up ridiculous numbers in an offense fueled by All-Pro talents at quarterback (Patrick Mahomes II), tight end (Travis Kelce), and wide receiver (Tyreek Hill), guiding the Chiefs to multiple Super Bowl appearances the last few years. And it hasn’t been enough to get him his own team to run.
Bieniemy has faced a lot of questions about how instrumental he’s been in Kansas City’s success. How often is he actually calling plays? How many of those plays are of his own design? What role has he played in scouting and developing all of that star power? Is all of this still attributed to Andy Reid? Over and over again we’ve seen Bieniemy’s credentials scrutinized given the talent around him and who his boss is.
There isn’t anything more for him to conquer in Kansas City. The Chiefs offense could keep racking up accolades and postseason wins and he’ll still be shut out of head coaching opportunities. Maybe Reid retires someday and opens the door for Bieniemy to replace him — as Dennis Allen just did, stepping in for Sean Payton — but how far away is that day? Two years? Three? Four? More? Reid, 63, is six or seven years younger than active coaches like Pete Carroll (70), Bruce Arians and Bill Belichick (both 69). There’s no sign of him slowing down, leaving Bieniemy in purgatory.
So if Bieniemy truly has head coaching ambitions, his best viable path to achieving them would be to get out of Reid’s shadow. Go somewhere else and install his offense, or fix an ailing one. Show that he’s a great coach and an outstanding teacher who is more than Reid’s top aide.
Enter the New Orleans Saints. Dennis Allen has spoken about his vision for their offense as head coach: tweak it, correct the flaws, and look for ways to create explosive plays while running at will. He’s already begun making moves by hiring Doug Marrone, another former Saints assistant with NFL head coaching experience, who is envisioned in “a key role” though he’s not expected to be named Allen’s offensive coordinator.
Having experience and familiarity with your staff is important. It’s also critical to bring in new blood to keep up with an ever-changing sport. It’s not enough to settle for known quantities like Marrone and other retreads from Sean Payton’s past. Adding an innovator like Bieniemy would be a real shot in the arm. Having other coaches around him like Marrone and Pete Carmichael Jr. (the current offensive coordinator, who is expected to step down and into a different role) can help fit Bieniemy’s ideas into the already-existing infrastructure on offense.
Of course that would still be perceived as a lateral move for Bieniemy, if not a step down. Going from working with Mahomes to a quarterback-to-be-named-later is a tremendous risk. The Saints would need to dig deep to pull it off; pulling out all the stops. I’m talking about doubling his salary. Giving him the title of assistant or associate head coach. Ensuring he’ll call plays on offense with the same autonomy Allen enjoyed under Payton on defense. And a promise from Allen to support Bieniemy in any personnel moves he asks for, whether it means pursuing a big-name quarterback prospect or moving on from underperforming starters, including recent draft picks like Cesar Ruiz or Adam Trautman.
The Saints may not have the appetite for that. Everything they’ve done so far, including Allen’s hiring, suggests they want to play this safe and just run the hits from Payton’s tenure. Up to and including the hiring of his old assistants. If they feel they can win 10 or 11 games with what’s already in place, barring a different position coach here or there, going after Bieniemy with a full-court press wouldn’t make sense for them.
But I can’t help but wonder if it’s still possible, though. Bieniemy’s contract with Kansas City is expiring, so he’s free to choose where he takes his career. Surely the topic of him teaming up with New Orleans as a coordinator, if not as head coach, came up during their eight-hour meeting last weekend.
Hypothetically, let’s say Bieniemy revives a reeling Saints offense and leaves in a year or two to coach somewhere else. The Saints end up being left with a better offense than they had before and a couple of compensatory draft picks thanks to the NFL’s incentivized minority candidate policy.
Stranger things have happened in the NFL. At this point, all we know for sure is that Allen’s offensive coordinator — whoever they may be — hasn’t been named just yet. Maybe he surprises us and the rest of the NFL by making a big push for Bieniemy.
