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Bieniemy took over Friday for Matt Nagy, who has been linked to
several head coaching vacancies, and who may ultimately end up
as the offensive coordinator elsewhere. Nagy recently
interviewed for that position in Philadelphia.
"Thank you coach for everything! Made me a better player and
man!” Mahomes told Nagy in a post on social media Friday.
Bieniemy left the Chiefs in 2023 to become assistant head coach
and offensive coordinator in Washington, where he had more say
in the play-calling. But after a disappointing season, Bieniemy
was not retained by new Commanders coach Dan Quinn, and he wound
up spending the following season at UCLA as the associate head
coach and offensive coordinator.
Bieniemy seemed to revive his career as the running backs coach
last year in Chicago. He was instrumental in the Bears running
for more than 126 yards a game, fifth-best in the NFL, and
helping first-year coach Ben Johnson go 11-6 and make the
playoffs.
Bieniemy will be taking over a Chiefs offense that is coming off
one of its worst seasons in recent history. They averaged only
320.6 yards per game, putting them near the bottom third of the
league, and their rush offense was particularly bleak.
Things could look a whole lot different on that side of the ball
next season, too.
Longtime tight end Travis Kelce is expected to announce in the
coming weeks whether he is retiring. The Chiefs' top two running
backs, Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, are both free agents,
while wide receivers Marquise Brown, Tyquan Thornton and JuJu
Smith-Schuster are also poised to hit the market when free
agency begins in March.
The Chiefs also have some uncertainty at quarterback as Mahomes
tries to rehab from surgery to repair two torn knee ligaments in
time for the start of the season. The only other QB on the
roster is journeyman Chris Oladokun.
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