Changes were bound to happen in the Kansas City Chiefs organization following a 6-11 season. The Chiefs, since Andy Reid took over as head coach in 2013, had never endured a season with less than nine wins, until 2025. With Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce playing together, the team didn’t even know what it felt like to not win double-digit games. A lot of things went wrong for Kansas City, but there was a clear scapegoat.
Matt Nagy, who rejoined the team in 2022 and had served as the offensive coordinator over the past two seasons, was allowed to pursue other opportunities. With his contract up and Nagy interviewing for head coaching positions, the Chiefs used that as an excuse to part ways with him. In his place, there wasn’t much of a search to find a replacement: Eric Bieniemy is back as offensive coordinator after three years away from the team.
Bieniemy will be tasked with getting Mahomes back to MVP form. Coincidentally, Mahomes’ last MVP season came in Bieniemy’s last season with the Chiefs in 2022. While Bieniemy’s offensive mind can’t be questioned, it’s his personality that really stuck with Mahomes, Kelce and other Chiefs players during his time with the team. In order to get fans excited once again, the Chiefs shared an old video of the QB and TE talking about Bieniemy during a practice.
Patrick Mahomes views Eric Bieniemy as a “best friend”
What sticks out is Mahomes choosing Bieniemy as the person he would pick as his best friend out of anyone else on the Chiefs team, player or coach. Kelce was the one who asked him the question, and Mahomes didn’t take too long to answer. Kelce says, “that’s a good pick“.
There’s a level of respect Mahomes and Kelce have for Bieniemy, which made them so successful together for such a long time. While Mahomes really had a soft spot for Nagy, it never seemed like they were quite on the same level, personally, as the quarterback was with Bieniemy. That’s a major reason he’s back with the team.
Bieniemy spent the past three years at three different stops. In 2023, with the Washington Commanders. In 2024, with UCLA. And in 2025, with the Chicago Bears. Everyone is hoping he will be with the Chiefs for a while, as long as everything goes swimmingly.
