UCLA football has made a significant coaching move, securing former Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as its new associate head coach/offensive coordinator on a two-year contract, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel.
Bieniemy will be working alongside new UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster. Speaking to CBS Sports Senior NFL Insider Josina Anderson and NFL writer Garrett Podell via text, Bieniemy expressed his enthusiasm about the opportunity, stating, “This is a great opportunity for me to help support DeShaun as a new head coach, to work with him and for him as well.
I chose to fly under the radar during this hiring process, and my experience generated a lot of interest from a number of NFL teams prior to coming to this decision.”
Having had a distinguished career both as a player and coach, Bieniemy’s journey includes standout performances as a running back at Colorado and a tenure in the NFL spanning from 1991 to 1999. Notably, he secured two Super Bowl victories during his time as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2022.
After departing from the Chiefs, Bieniemy took on the role of assistant head coach/offensive coordinator with the Washington Commanders in 2023 under Ron Rivera. Following Rivera’s departure after the 2023 season, Bieniemy found himself seeking new opportunities.
Reflecting on his options, Bieniemy revealed to CBS Sports that he had garnered interest from two NFL teams for the position of offensive coordinator. Additionally, he was interviewed for the head coaching position with the Commanders before the organization ultimately opted for Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
In a notable return to the collegiate realm, Bieniemy is rejoining UCLA, where he previously coached from 2001 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2012.
His earlier stints included serving as Colorado’s running backs coach from 2001 to 2002, followed by a similar role at UCLA from 2003 to 2004, where he later took on the additional responsibility of recruiting coordinator in 2005.
This move marks a return to his roots before embarking on his NFL coaching journey, which began in 2006 as the Minnesota Vikings’ running backs coach.
Notably, Bieniemy rejoined the Colorado Buffaloes as their offensive coordinator before being appointed as the Chiefs’ running backs coach in 2013. Five years later, he ascended to the role of offensive coordinator, succeeding Matt Nagy, who departed to lead the Chicago Bears as head coach.
