Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is back, pending a finalized contract.
The former longtime Kansas City offensive mind is expected to reunite with the Chiefs this offseason after a three-year gap during which Bieniemy coached for the Washington Commanders, UCLA and most recently the Chicago Bears, where he served as the running backs coach.
News of Bieniemy’s anticipated reunion with the Chiefs could be music to the ears of fans hoping to see Travis Kelce run it back for one more season. Kelce, after all, had nothing but glowing remarks about his former OC back when the two of them worked together from 2018 to ‘22.
During Bieniemy’s final season with the Chiefs, Kelce had this to say about seeing him potentially land a head coaching job in the NFL:
“Week in, week out, he has our team prepared and ready to go,” Kelce said in February 2022. “Everyone says it’s an Andy Reid offense—he has 51%, I’m not going to say it’s not. But it is a collective group putting this offense together. I ask everybody, ‘Come on in, see who’s standing up in front of our offense getting us ready for situational football, who’s in front of us week in week out at halftime trying to make adjustments. Who is the guy that’s rallying this group and has the emotion as a player and as a coach to keep us firing as an offensive unit?’ And that’s Eric Bieniemy.
“I’ve been a big fan of him my entire career, he’s done unbelievable things for my skillset personally and my mentality in terms of helping me grow as a player. More than deserving [of an NFL head coaching job].”
When Eric Bieniemy was the Chiefs OC the first time, Travis Kelce was his biggest champion and let everyone know what his role really is/was pic.twitter.com/FsmmWdkI2e
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) January 19, 2026
Bieniemy would replace Matt Nagy, whose contract with the Chiefs is expiring and who already has several head coaching interviews lined up this cycle. It’s no secret that Mahomes played some of his best football under Bieniemy, winning a pair of Super Bowl titles and MVP awards. The same goes for Kelce.
The 36-year-old tight end still hasn’t publicly made his decision on whether he wants to return to the Chiefs for 2026, but you have to wonder whether reuniting with a familiar face in Bieniemy could factor into his ultimate choice.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travis Kelce’s Powerful Message on Eric Bieniemy Resurfaces Amid Chiefs Reunion News.
