The Chicago Bears saw their season come to an end on Sunday night, and while they’re still reeling from their overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the pain could just be beginning as opposing teams try to poach coaches and front office members from the organization.
The Bears possibly dodged a bullet as assistant general manager Ian Cunningham is reportedly out of the running to become the GM for the Atlanta Falcons. However, head coach Ben Johnson’s staff is fair game after leading Chicago to its first division title since 2018.
One day after the season ended, it feels like the first domino has fallen as NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Kansas City Chiefs have requested running backs coach Eric Bieniemy to fill their vacant offensive coordinator position. In addition, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports that “the expectation is that he’ll be returning to the Chiefs,” meaning there’s a good chance that Bieniemy will be the first offseason loss on Johnson’s staff.
Eric Bieniemy Won’t Be the Bears’ Only Coaching Loss This Offseason
This should come as no surprise. When you win 11 games, teams are going to try to get some of the secret sauce that made the team successful. But in the case of Bieniemy, heading back to Kansas City makes too much sense.
Bieniemy served on HC Andy Reid’s staff beginning as the running backs coach from 2013-17 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2018. The promotion came at the same time that Patrick Mahomes was taking over the starting role, and the unit exploded, ranking first in offense and scoring in his first season in the role.
The Chiefs continued their run of dominance for the remainder of Bieniemy’s first stint in Kansas City, ranking in the top six in total offense and scoring in all five seasons before he departed to become the OC for the Washington Commanders. A failed stint in Washington led him back to the college ranks for one season as the offensive coordinator at UCLA before joining the Bears’ staff with Johnson’s hiring last spring.
If Beinemy is one-and-done in Chicago, it was a great way to go out. The Bears ranked third in rushing offense with 144.5 yards per game, between the regular season and playoffs, and Bieniemy not only revived D’Andre Swift’s career after a rough first season with the team, but played a key role in the development of Kyle Monangai, who finished his rookie year with 783 yards and five touchdowns.
For Bears, this could also be the beginning. Chicago has plenty of interesting candidates that could go elsewhere as the coaching carousel spins like a gravitron at the county fair, and with 10 new head coaches in place in 2026, there will be plenty of openings for those who want to take a step forward in their career or, in Bieniemy’s case, just get back to where they saw their most success.
In short, Bieniemy may not be the only coach on the way out, and this could be the first domino in a busy offseason for the Bears coaching staff.