KANSAS CITY, MO — Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is potentially set to see an expansion of his head coaching tree after the end of the season.
According to various reports, four different NFL teams have reached out to the Chiefs asking permission to interview offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their respective head coaching vacancies: Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His meteoric rise to the top of many teams' candidate lists has a lot to do with the type of season the Chiefs offensive is having as the NFL's top offense. He's currently in the first year as offensive coordinator with the team after five years as Kansas City's running backs coach. He was elevated to Chiefs offensive coordinator after Matt Nagy left that position to become the Chicago Bears head coach.
Andy Reid Head Coaching Tree
There are currently six head coaches leading other teams that were all on Andy Reid's staff as one point in time
- Matt Nagy (Chicago Bears head coach)
- Doug Pederson (Philadelphia Eagles head coach)
- Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills head coach)
- Ron Rivera (Carolina Panthers head coach)
- Pat Shurmur (New York Giant head coach)
- John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens head coach)
Other former head coaches that served under Andy Reid
- Todd Bowles (New York Jets, 2015-2018) - FIRED SUNDAY (12/30)
- Brad Childress (Minnesota Vikings, 2006-2010)
- Steve Spagnuolo (St. Louis Rams, 2009-2011), New York Giants (2017)
- Leslie Frazier (Minnesota Vikings, 2010-2013)
Bieniemy has been a big part of quarterback Patrick Mahomes's development as a quarterback and has helped him have one of the most successful seasons, for a quarterback, in league history. Mahomes and Peyton Manning are the only two quarterback ever to have thrown for at least 50 touchdowns and 5,000 yards in a season.
Of course, it was all but a foregone conclusion that Patrick would give his support to Bieniemy.
"He'd be an awesome head coach. I mean, he has that mindset, that work ethic and that determination that you need to be a head coach in this league," Mahomes said. "I know he's had the interest and stuff like that. But, you know, he'll still be a hundred in on what we're doing. And, he'd be an amazing coach."
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was also supportive of the idea that Bieniemy had a strong possibility of being a head coach for another team.
"Well, I think you guys know I am a big fan of his. I think he would be phenomenal," Reid said. "I can't get into all [of which teams contacted the Chiefs]. There is some interest by a few teams."
In a recent interview, several weeks ago, that Eric Bieniemy had with 41 Action News Sports Anchor Dee Jackson, Bieniemy was asked about the prospect of one day being a head coach. "The truth of the matter is, one day, we're gonna be talking to head coach Eric Bieniemy. What kind of head coach is Eric Bieniemy gonna be down the road," Jackson asked.
"I'll say this. It's an honor to be considered. And, I'm gonna be humble about this," Bieniemy said while laughing to himself at the question. "I appreciate you saying that. Right now, the tough part about what we do, you always gotta focus on the now. You know, that's what we do. You focus on the now. The only thing that's important right now is making sure, when I go upstairs, I'm finishing up my game planning for tomorrow's practice. And, on top of that, that we're ready for [the next game].
"If I'm blessed and fortunate, you know what, if we're doing it the right way. And, you noticed I said this, IF we're doing it the right way, the blessings will come to everyone. So, we just wanna make sure that we're focused on the now, live for today. And, you know what, tomorrow will take care of itself," Bieniemy said.
