The Bruins are moving on from Bieniemy, sources told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. The former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator and NFL running back joined UCLA’s staff in 2024 as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach following the hire of Deshaun Foster as the team’s head coach.
UCLA went 5-7 in 2024 and was 3-6 in the Big Ten. The Bruins averaged 5.4 yards a play and scored just 18.4 points per game. Only eight teams across the top level of college football averaged fewer points than the Bruins and UCLA scored more than 20 points just twice all season.
Bieniemy, 55, interviewed multiple times for NFL head coaching positions while he was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. He joined Andy Reid’s staff in 2013 when Reid became the Chiefs’ head coach and was the team’s running backs coach through the 2017 season. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2018 as Patrick Mahomes became the team’s starting quarterback.
However, Bieniemy never got a head coaching job in the NFL and moved on from the Chiefs after the 2022 season. Five NFL teams had job openings that offseason and he interviewed for just one.
Bieniemy became the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders in 2023, but he spent just one season with the team as the organization went through wholesale changes following the season. Washington’s new ownership group changed the coaching staff and hired Dan Quinn as the team’s head coach with former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury serving as the offensive coordinator for No. 2 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels.
Before coaching for the Chiefs, Bieniemy was the offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Colorado, for two seasons and had served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Vikings. It’s unclear just where Bieniemy’s next coaching stop will be and it’d have been hard to fathom four years ago that Bieniemy would be leaving his third job in three seasons at the end of 2024 instead of being the head coach of an NFL team. [Reply]
I think he wants to get away from Andy to prove himself
Veteran NFL OC Eric Bieniemy has spoken with multiple NFL teams and also interviewed for the #Patriots’ OC job before it went to Josh McDaniels, according to league sources.
The belief was that Bieniemy was a top candidate for the New England job, had McDaniels not been the… pic.twitter.com/pHX1R3BNlH
Originally Posted by RunKC:
I think he wants to get away from Andy to prove himself
Veteran NFL OC Eric Bieniemy has spoken with multiple NFL teams and also interviewed for the #Patriots’ OC job before it went to Josh McDaniels, according to league sources.
The belief was that Bieniemy was a top candidate for the New England job, had McDaniels not been the… pic.twitter.com/pHX1R3BNlH
If the Chiefs hired me or any dumbass on this board nothing would change. This is Andy's baby. I don't blame EB for wanting to get out of the shadows to prove himself. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Deberg_1990:
Yea...i thought EB got the lions share of blame for the Chiefs 2nd half collapse against the Bengals in the AFC championship game 3 years ago?
It's not even that. He's failed everywhere he's been. With the exception of the Chiefs. When you look at Reid's tenure, it's nearly impossible to get a read on how good offensive assistant coaches are because of how hands-on Andy is.
You have to look at their resume outside of KC. EB's resume is not good and I'm being kind. [Reply]
We need to cash as many super bowls as we can before Reid retires. At that point, you can have a head coach change, because Mahomes will be at the Brady/Manning level where he basically IS running the offense.
Thank God Andy Reid never had Tom Brady, or we'd have to talk about the Eagles as possibly the greatest dynasty of all time. [Reply]
This team has won back to back Super Bowls without him and is on the precipice of history.
Meanwhile, he continues to lose every job he gets.
When will people realize EB is a mediocre coach and an even worse person? There's a reason nobody in the NFL really likes the guy.
Well, much like the Patriots, we're becoming an organization where there are just certain guys who can only be successful here. He wouldn't have had his name floating around for head coaching positions if he wasn't somewhat capable.
I'm not pounding the table for him or anything, but I think as a lower level assistant he could still be useful. He was incredible as RBs coach, brought out the best in a lot of guys who had no business even playing meaningful snaps. Didn't they also have him give a speech in the locker room last year before one of our playoff games? He obviously has the ear of the players if they did that.
I just kind of feel bad for the guy, his fall from grace has been pretty swift. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Wisconsin_Chief:
Well, much like the Patriots, we're becoming an organization where there are just certain guys who can only be successful here. He wouldn't have had his name floating around for head coaching positions if he wasn't somewhat capable.
I'm not pounding the table for him or anything, but I think as a lower level assistant he could still be useful. He was incredible as RBs coach, brought out the best in a lot of guys who had no business even playing meaningful snaps. Didn't they also have him give a speech in the locker room last year before one of our playoff games? He obviously has the ear of the players if they did that.
I just kind of feel bad for the guy, his fall from grace has been pretty swift.
His fall from grace started decades ago, when he was implicated in a scandal that supplied paid sex and drugs to recruits at CU. [Reply]