With Eric Bieniemy and the Chiefs potentially parting ways this offseason, here are three unconventional candidates Kansas City should consider to be the next offensive coordinator.
After years of being passed over for head coaching jobs, Eric Bieniemy may finally be saying, “Screw it. Get me out of here.”
Bieniemy has run the offense on the Kansas City Chiefs for the last five years, helping the team win not one but two Super Bowls during his tenure. Most coaches who boast a resume like Bieniemy’s would be snapped up in a heartbeart, but due to a variety of fact— well, let’s just cut the crap and say no one knows why Bieniemy hasn’t gotten a head coach offer yet. It’s honestly just baffling.
Despite losing out in the Baltimore Ravens’ OC search, Bieniemy appears to be the frontrunner for the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator job, dining with head coach Ron Rivera and spending countless hours at the Commanders’ facility.
Bieniemy would be making a lateral move to another play-calling position, but it could be a much-needed change of scenery for someone whose career has apparently hit a wall in Kansas City.
For more conventional offensive coordinator replacements for the Chiefs (yes, everybody knows Matt Nagy is the obvious option), check this out.
For outside-the-box candidates, read on.
3. Alex Smith has a Chiefs legacy
NFL journeyman quarterback Alex Smith spent some of his best years on Kansas City and could be considered an under-the-radar candidate for the offensive coordinator position.
Smith played for the Chiefs for five years from 2013 to 2017, earning three Pro Bowls and finishing with a 50-26 record as a starter. His stats pale in comparison to Patrick Mahomes, of course, but compared to the likes of Matt Cassell or Brady Quinn? Smith was a franchise-saver.
The former 49ers quarterback provided a stabilizing presence in Kansas City and helped turn the team from perennial doormats to playoff contenders, guiding the Chiefs to four postseason runs and their first consecutive division titles in franchise history.
Patrick Mahomes still thanks Smith for helping him develop all those years ago. Reid said he’d love to have Smith on his staff after Smith’s retirement and clearly thinks highly of him.
Given Smith’s quarterback experience and his admirable toughness and resilience in his playing career (he and Mahomes are two peas in a pod), Smith could be a sneaky good pick to lead the Chiefs’ offense for years to come.
2. Dave Toub could replace Eric Bieniemy
Dave Toub is the Chiefs’ special teams coordinator and has spent the last 10 seasons in Kansas City. He added assistant head coach to his title in 2018 and appears to be open to moving up the ranks, so why not promote him all the way to offensive coordinator?
Making the leap from special teams to bigger coaching roles is not that uncommon in the league, and a host of coaches actually got their start on special teams: Bill Cowher, Bill Belichick, John Harbaugh, and Mike Ditka, to name a few.
If anyone knows the Chiefs’ offense as well as Andy Reid, it’s Dave Toub, who’s been with Kansas City since Reid’s arrival.
Under Toub, the Chiefs have finished inside the top ten in all but one season in average kick return yards, and as a special teams guy Toub’s had his finger on the pulse of the Chiefs’ roster for the last decade. He knows the strengths and weaknesses, ins and outs of this Kansas City squad like no other, and over the years he’s helped design the blueprint of the Chiefs’ offense and defense using his keen eye for detail and talent (he basically handpicked Harrison Butker) and his ability to adapt and adjust to a myriad of situations.
Not totally off the radar, Toub has received mild interest from a few teams around the league for promotions, but an in-house move to offensive coordinator could work in both Toub’s and the Chiefs organization’s best interests.
Like Eric Bieniemy, Toub has inherited the same winning culture and the same all-time great quarterback at Kansas City, and one could even argue Toub has more experience and connections at the pro level.
Don’t count out special teams.
1. Bruce Arians
We know how this sounds.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians retired for the second time after the 2021 regular season. He and Tom Brady probably shared jokes about that.
Arians currently serves as a consultant to Tampa Bay, and at age 68, Arians may not have any more fight left in him. Isn’t it at least a little bit fitting, though, that the coach of the G.O.A.T. takes on a new role to coach the future G.O.A.T.?
After his first retirement in 2017, Arians returned to coach the Bucs in 2019 and led the team to a Super Bowl victory (against the Chiefs, no less) a year after. His slogan, “No risk it, no biscuit,” is indicative of his uber-aggressive play-calling which has defined all his offenses and could be seen as both a pro and con. While the Chiefs could settle for the safer option and just promote Matt Nagy to OC, they could alternatively take a huge swing at one of the most respected coaches in the league.
Arians has nearly two decades of coaching experience in the NFL having traveled from Cleveland to Pittsburgh to Arizona to Tampa Bay. He seems comfortable in his new role as essentially a sounding board for Buccaneers’ coaches and executives, yet if he really does believe in his “no biscuit” slogan, he could consider an un-un-retirement in which he jumps back into the league and helps the Chiefs cement their dynasty status for at least the next few years.
It’s unlikely. Even ludicrous. And we’re not exactly campaigning for Arians to come back, but…. wouldn’t it just be crazy if he did?