At one time, Eric Bieniemy was one of the most sought-after coaches in the NFL. His success with teams like the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs had many teams interested in adding him to their staff.
The rise and fall of Bieniemy in the NFL is an intriguing story. However, his story isn't done quite yet as it is being reported that the former Vikings coach is getting another opportunity in the league with a squad in the NFC North.
Polarizing former Minnesota Vikings coach reportedly joining Minnesota rival in NFC North
NFL on CBS Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones recently shared on X that the Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with Eric Bieniemy on a deal that would bring him to the NFC North to work with the running backs.
An NFL return: Eric Bieniemy has agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears to be their running backs coach, source tells @NFLonCBS. A 2-time Super Bowl champ with the Chiefs, Bieniemy gives Ben Johnson's offensive staff a veteran, championship presence.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 1, 2025
Bieniemy started his NFL coaching career with the Minnesota Vikings. He signed on as the running backs coach in 2006 and added assistant head coach to his title in 2010 before moving to the University of Colorado to be their offensive coordinator.
The Kansas City Chiefs hired him in 2013 as their running backs coach and promoted him to offensive coordinator for the 2018 season. He held that job through 2022 but moved to the Washington Commanders to be their offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
After one season in Washington, Bieniemy was not retained by the new head coach and returned to coach at the college level. as UCLA's associate head coach and offensive coordinator but was dismissed after a losing season.
If the coach's history looks erratic, that's because it is. His past mistakes include being arrested for a bar fight, multiple driving violations, impeding a firefighter, and harassment, He has been disciplined by multiple teams for his actions but hopefully learned from those situations.
Each of those incidents was over 20 years ago, so there is hope that those incidents won't happen again and he has learned his lessons. Apparently, the Chicago Bears are willing to take that risk to improve their running backs.
Eric Bieniemy has interesting positive things on his resume including helping star running back Adrian Peterson and others in Minnesota and earning two Super Bowl championships with Kansas City while on their staff.
The large number of red and green flags is why Beieniemy is such a polarizing figure to those who follow the NFL. The former Minnesota Vikings coach will need to make the most of his opportunity in Chicago if he wants to change the narrative around him.