Report: Eric Bieniemy expected to be signed to new contract after Super Bowl

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s contract will be expiring after Super Bowl LV — but according to a new report for ESPN’s Adam Schefter, both the team and Bieniemy want a new deal — and will be signing one soon.

One reason a new deal has not gotten worked out, according to sources, is because neither the Chiefs nor Bieniemy expected to be in this position. Bieniemy had hoped he would have landed one of the seven NFL head coach openings in this cycle, and the Chiefs thought Bieniemy was a favorite to get one.

But between Bieniemy being bypassed and the Chiefs reaching the Super Bowl, there was no time nor need to address his unsettled contract situation.

Both sides believe they’ll be able to work out a deal and ensure his return to Kansas City. Both want it to happen: Bienemy wants to remain in Kansas City, and the Chiefs want him there, according to sources.

The 51-year-old Bieniemy is finishing his third season as the team’s offensive coordinator. The Chiefs made the AFC championship in each of those seasons — and Bieniemy has been considered a leading candidate to become an NFL head coach in the most recent hiring cycles. After the regular season ended, he had six interviews teams seeking a new head coach but had to watch as all of them chose other candidates.

“It’s always about getting the right job,” Bieniemy said this week. “Sometimes the job and the person have to connect; there has to be a connection. The only thing I can do is be my most authentic self. That’s who I am; I can only be me. Some team has to want me. For some reason, that chemistry has not been a fit. There has not been that opportunity to connect — but that’s OK. At the end of the day, I have the opportunity to go out here and work with the Kansas City Chiefs, which is a great organization.”

Asked on Monday what Bieniemy would need to do to get a head coaching job, the Chiefs’ Andy Reid — who has long advocated for him to be hired by another team — didn’t have the answer.

“I don’t really know,” he replied. “Am I upset? Yeah, I’m a big fan of his, and I know what he can help do for a team — but most of all, for the National Football League. I think he’s so deserving of that opportunity. I’m hoping someday it comes. I was expecting it last year, and it didn’t happen. I definitely thought it would happen this year and it didn’t happen ... I think he’s as ready as anybody.”

So while the Chiefs are ready to move on with Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator, they still don’t expect him to remain with the team for long.