Former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is again out of a job.
UCLA had hired Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator following his time as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator during the 2023 season.
Moving to a coordinator with NFL offensive coordinator experience was probably a good sell for the UCLA Bruins, who were moving from the PAC-12 to the Big Ten.
However, after only one season, UCLA informed Bieniemy that he would be replaced. The Bruins did not have a good offense in 2024. In fact, they were ranked 117th in the country.
Interestingly, Bieniemy’s agent said it was a mutual arrangement. This reminds Commanders’ fans of earlier this year, when Bieniemy said Washington did not fire him, insisting that though he lasted only one season as Washington’s offensive coordinator, the organization did not fire him.
Statement from Eric Bieniemy’s agent, Jason Fletcher:
“Eric and UCLA mutually parted ways today as previously planned. He’s still getting paid by the Commanders. After interviewing for head coaching jobs last year, he wanted to stay active and busy. So, he decided to go help… pic.twitter.com/i7CFizB0yh
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 5, 2024
You will recall that Bieniemy had been the OC for the Kansas City Chiefs. He first came to the Chiefs as running back coach, serving in that capacity for five seasons.
He then became the offensive coordinator the same season Patrick Mahomes became the starter. After five seasons, head coach Andy Reid publicly encouraged other NFL teams to hire Bieniemy as a head coach.
However, no offers came; only Washington offered the offensive coordinator position. Commanders Wire learned that on Feb. 17, 2023, Reid was bringing back Matt Nagy as his offensive coordinator, replacing Bieniemy, who did not yet have a new job.
Sure enough, Nagy was hired as the Kansas City offensive coordinator, and Bieniemy came to Washington. The Commanders did not even make it out of training camp before multiple players approached head coach Ron Rivera about Bieniemy’s coaching.
Obviously, the players were those whom Rivera respected their judgment because Rivera was troubled by it.
In short, the Commanders’ offense had a horrible season in 2023. They ignored the need to develop a running game, placed too much emphasis on passing the ball, and had too many quarterback sacks. They had only four wins, and Rivera and his coordinators, Jack Del Rio and Bieniemy, were fired.
Jason Fletcher, Bieniemy’s agent, publicly stated that it was always the plan that Bieniemy would return to the NFL in 2025.
That might be true, but in 2025, it won’t be as a head coach or offensive coordinator. Hopefully, Bieniemy can again find a job in the NFL where he can find some success.
