Former Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is returning to college. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Bieniemy accepted an associate head coach/offensive coordinator role with the UCLA Bruins.
Bieniemy is a familiar face at UCLA, having previously served as the Bruins’ running backs coach between 2003 and 2005. He also had a couple of stints with Colorado.
After a successful stint as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, which saw him win two Super Bowls, Bieniemy decided to leave the franchise after the 2022 campaign and take the same position with the Washington Commanders. Bienemy received an opportunity to call plays, something he didn’t do in Kansas City, and believed this might increase his odds of landing a head coaching job in the NFL.
However, the Commanders ended up going through a disappointing campaign that saw them finish with a 4-13 record. This led to the firing of head coach Ron Rivera, and Bieniemy soon followed.
In an email sent to ESPN on Saturday, Bieniemy revealed that he interviewed for several NFL jobs since leaving Commanders. One NFL team offered him a chance to serve as a running backs coach, but he ended up choosing to return to college.
“I’m excited to be here and to coach these young men and football again,” Bieniemy wrote in the email. “My expectations and desire to be excellent will never be turned down. I’m fired up. Let’s go.”
