Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy had an opportunity Thursday to address an ESPN report linking him to the vacant USC head-coaching job.
Bieniemy, however, essentially deflected multiple questions on his potential interest, emphasizing that he is focused on the Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs' opponent this weekend on Sunday Night Football.
"You know me, you guys know me. I am where my feet are," Bieniemy said. "So when it's all said and done, I am focused on the task at hand.
"I'm not worried about where my name is mentioned. My job right now is to make sure that we're preparing for this weekend's opponent."
But would the 52-year-old Bieniemy be interested if USC reached out?
"I think you guys know me better than that," he said emphatically. "So, if USC reached out to me right now, my answer would be I am preparing for this team to play against the Baltimore Ravens. And that's how I roll; you guys know that."
The Chiefs offensive coordinator's name has come up over the past three years as a high-profile candidate to fill vacant head-coaching jobs in the NFL. He's interviewed with multiple teams, including the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins.
Bieniemy has not landed any of those jobs despite public endorsements from Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt and head coach Andy Reid.
Reid, who said Wednesday that he hasn't talked to Bieniemy about USC, doubled down on his support of Bieniemy Thursday.
"I haven't really talked to him in depth about that, but I know he's from that area (Southern California)," Reid said. "He's going to be great wherever he goes and I'm his biggest fan. If he wants to go there, or wherever he wants to go, they're lucky to have him."
Bieniemy's name will likely continue to be linked to vacant coaching jobs. But for now, he sounds content to allow others to speculate while he grapples with the task at hand
"That's a question I can answer when the season is over," he said. "At this particular moment, my job is to make sure we're ready to go, and when it's all said and done with, that stuff will take care of itself.
"I've got a bunch of guys who are counting on me. I always talk to our players about the importance of being accountable to one another. How can you be accountable to someone if you're allowing distractions to seep in."
