NFL News

[Futureshock]

It would be entertaining. And to Rodgers defense, he wouldn't have to worry about facing THAT TEAM for 4 years

[jaadam4]

The Jets would be stupid not to trade for Erin if he doesn't retire. They could go on a run for sure but truthfully i think he retires.

[CGVT]

40 million simolians says he plays.

[Forsh]

If he thinks he can potentially sniff a super bowl there's no way he retires

[froot loops]

That dude ain't retiring, I'm still kind of shocked Tommy Tantrum hung it up. Those dudes are addicted to the spotlight.

You know at this moment, A-aron is in his dark house wearing out the phone searching Google for more articles about him.

[Fraquar]

Of all of the teams Rodgers could go to - you'd have to think the Jets would be off the list.
Favre 2.0 - revisited.
Favre joined them at 39, Rodgers just turned 39.
You'd have to think the host of Jeopardy knows that.....

[Forsh]

Of all of the teams Rodgers could go to - you'd have to think the Jets would be off the list.
Favre 2.0 - revisited.
Favre joined them at 39, Rodgers just turned 39.
You'd have to think the host of Jeopardy knows that.....

So he can out do Favre. He'll love that

[Forsh]

That dude ain't retiring, I'm still kind of shocked Tommy Tantrum hung it up. Those dudes are addicted to the spotlight.

You know at this moment, A-aron is in his dark house wearing out the phone searching Google for more articles about him.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[Tom]

I want Rodgers back with the Pack next season. I want the Lions to win the division and shove it down his throat.

[ghandi]

I want Rodgers back with the Pack next season. I want the Lions to win the division and shove it down his throat.

"That team" isn't through with him yet

[jaadam4]

I want Rodgers back with the Pack next season. I want the Lions to win the division and shove it down his throat.

I’m with that as well. I’d like watch his demise within the division

[jaadam4]

Of all of the teams Rodgers could go to - you'd have to think the Jets would be off the list.
Favre 2.0 - revisited.
Favre joined them at 39, Rodgers just turned 39.
You'd have to think the host of Jeopardy knows that.....

Yes! Exactly.

[whatever_gong82]

Commanders finalizing hire of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator: Source

By Ben Standig and The Athletic Staff


The Washington Commanders are in the process of hiring Eric Bieniemy as their next offensive coordinator, a team source told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:

Bieniemy’s title with Washington would be assistant head coach/offensive coordinator, and he’s expected to sign a multi-year deal with the Commanders, per source.

Bieniemy has been with Kansas City since 2013, first as running backs coach and then, beginning in 2018, as offensive coordinator. He won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs in 2019 and 2022. The Chiefs have averaged 406.2 yards and 30.1 points per game over the last five seasons.

Second-year QB Sam Howell will “more than likely” be the Commanders’ first-string quarterback entering the 2023 offseason, coach Ron Rivera said earlier this month.

Washington was 8-8-1 last season in a competitive NFC East. The Commanders averaged just 18.9 points per game, 24th in NFL.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:


What the Commanders see in Bieniemy


Rivera previously signaled Washington would not make a significant quarterback addition this offseason. With Bieniemy, the coach made a splashy offensive acquisition all the same. Adding a key piece from the Super Bowl champs is more than creating positive PR. Washington ranked 25th, 23rd and 24th in points scored during the previous three seasons, with Scott Turner running the offense and cavalcade of quarterbacks under center. Bieniemy, a coach willing to challenge players, will provide an aggressive mindset by his presence alone.

His primary tasks include weaponizing a potent receiver room headlined by Terry McLaurin, maximizing rising second-year running back Brian Robinson, and, most notably, guiding Howell’s possible ascension to the Week 1 starter. Success with the latter is likely where Bieniemy’s coaching chops will face the most scrutiny, assuming Rivera’s claim the team won’t add another QB who automatically jumps Howell on the depth chart. — Standig


Why Bieniemy would choose to join Washington

Serving as the offensive coordinator for a team that won two Super Bowls and played in three over a five-year span typically means being hired by some team as their new head coach. While there’s been interest – Bieniemy was interviewed in recent years by nearly half of the league’s 31 other teams, including the Colts this cycle – no offer came. Pick your reason why, but the result remains the same.

One way to eliminate doubts is by leaving Reid’s large shadow to run his offense. Rivera, part of Reid’s coaching tree from their time in Philadelphia, provides that opportunity for the coordinator whose contract expired after the Super Bowl. The hurdles are obvious: No experienced quarterback, a team without a winning record in Rivera’s three seasons and organizational uncertainty as embattled owner Dan Snyder explores selling the franchise he’s owned since 1999. Regardless, the opportunity exists with the Commanders, who have offensive playmakers and a top-10 level defense. It’s not the one Bieniemy’s backers desired, but it’s what was available. — Standig

[whatever_gong82]

Eric Bieniemy can quiet doubters as Commanders’ expected offensive coordinator


By Ben Standig

The Washington Commanders are set to have a new offensive coordinator and assistant head coach after more than a month of searching. After a two-day interview, the team is finalizing a multiyear contract with Eric Bieniemy on Friday, a person close to the situation told The Athletic, landing Washington one of the league’s more decorated offensive coaches.

Bieniemy has spent the last five years as offensive coordinator for the powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs, with two Super Bowl wins in three appearances. As a nod to high-level consistency, that offense also led the league in scoring, yards per game and myriad other statistical categories. Almost any coordinator with that resume isn’t only in demand but also receiving head-coaching offers.

Players in Sunday’s celebratory locker room sought to congratulate Bieniemy, whose contract expired after the game, on the win — and the likelihood he would start a new chapter elsewhere. Another change: With Washington, Bieniemy will become a full-time play caller, two people close to the situation told The Athletic.

Bieniemy piqued the interest of roughly half the league over that stretch. Including a meeting with the Indianapolis Colts this year, Bieniemy has interviewed for 16 head-coaching positions with 15 teams (the Jets checked in twice) since 2019, according to USA Today.

“I’d say hire (Eric), like right now,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said in 2019, before Kansas City beat San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV. “That’s what I’d tell you. I don’t want to lose him, but if you’re asking me if he’s ready to be a head coach? Yeah, he’s ready.”

The coach found himself campaigning for Bieniemy again this month, even as the latest championship maintains its new-car smell. The Colts chose another option, going with Eagles OC Shane Steichen, as the other teams did prior.

Bieniemy, who is Black, has become the face of the league’s problem with racial inequality among head coaches. Only one Black candidate — DeMeco Ryans in Houston — landed one of the five openings this year. That leaves six head coaches from diverse backgrounds among the league’s 32 jobs: three who are Black (Todd Bowles, Mike Tomlin and Ryans), one who is biracial (Mike McDaniel), one who is Latino (Ron Rivera) and one who is Lebanese American (Robert Saleh).

Many have discounted Bieniemy’s role in Kansas City because Reid orchestrates the offense and all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes executes the plan. Some have said Bienemy is too tough on his players. Wherever the truth lies, the 53-year-old aspiring head coach has found his career stuck, and taking on a new challenge outside his comfort zone might help him move up later.

“For Eric, the market is speaking in some way,” said one person who has been directly involved in coaching searches with multiple teams in recent years, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “You can say it’s right. You can say it’s wrong. But it is speaking. If he wants to be a head coach, he probably has to do something like this.”

“This” is becoming the new offensive coordinator for the Commanders.

On the surface, Bieniemy is making a quasi-lateral move to arguably the most chaotic franchise in the league. He’ll work under Rivera, who, after three consecutive non-winning seasons, is perhaps facing a win-or-else campaign, especially since owner Dan Snyder is exploring the sale of the franchise after 23 tumultuous years. Signing a multiyear deal would provide Bieniemy some financial insurance.

Kansas City’s offensive line held Philadelphia’s vaunted defensive front without a sack in the Super Bowl. That same Eagles group had nine sacks against Washington’s shaky blockers in Week 3. Instead of a two-time Super Bowl and league MVP in Mahomes, Bieniemy must coach up a 2022 fifth-round pick (Sam Howell) with one career start, or perhaps a cheap veteran free agent.

For Rivera, whether a master stroke or capitalizing on good fortune, this hire is quite the coup. Rivera faced adversity and an agitated fan base after last year’s polarizing trade for quarterback Carson Wentz. Then Washington’s late-season fade frittered away a possible wild-card berth.

Washington, hampered by using nine starting quarterbacks since 2020, has ranked 25th, 23rd and 24th in points scored during that span.

Anyone in Rivera’s spot would view a two-time Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator as a coaching catalyst. The Commanders interviewed seven other candidates, including quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and two-time head coach Pat Shurmur, while waiting for the Chiefs’ season to conclude. None officially returned for a second interview. Patience paid off.

Regardless of the outcome, Rivera — a Reid loyalist after serving as an assistant in Philadelphia around the turn of the century — is the first person to give Bieniemy a chance to run an NFL offense by himself. For Washington, the choice would ideally spark a team that’s already armed with several offensive playmakers and a top-10 defense. This will be the most critical season of Bieniemy’s coaching career. Rivera is banking on success.

From Bieniemy’s perspective, it’s fair to see this scenario as a massive letdown. Last year, Reid reportedly sought direct answers during an NFL owners’ meeting about why Bieniemy had not yet become a head coach. He continued pitching Bieniemy during Super Bowl week.

“Eric Bieniemy has been tremendous for us, and I think he’s tremendous for the National Football League,” Reid said. “I’m hoping he has an opportunity to go somewhere and do his thing, where he can run the show and be Eric Bieniemy.”

One persistent knock is Bieniemy’s lack of full-time play-calling experience. But plenty of other coordinators, including many White candidates, have been hired as head coaches without checking that box. That includes Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy, the two coordinators who preceded Bieniemy under Reid in Kansas City. Why the double standard?

Even with a dominant figure like Reid, any offense includes multiple cooks in the kitchen. It’s Bieniemy’s voice that Mahomes hears before each play.

Bieniemy has also shown the ability to out-scheme opposing defenses, like on Mahomes’ two fourth-quarter touchdown passes against the Eagles.

The former college standout and nine-year NFL running back “sees the game through a player’s eyes, but also has the intellect to set up plays and put players in a position where they can play to their strengths,” one prominent figure in the Chiefs organization, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told The Athletic.

Bieniemy isn’t afraid to push his players in practice but “backs it up with care for the whole player/person,” the figure added. Several agents with players on Kansas City’s roster said their clients have never been anything but optimistic about Bieniemy. Reid described Bieniemy as a “leader of men.”

“He holds you to a high standard,” Mahomes said in 2019 as a second-year starter, “and he holds you to the standard that you need to be perfect with every single rep you get in practice.”

Kansas City’s streak of seven consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins began before Bieniemy’s OC tenure, which came after he spent five years as the Chiefs’ running backs coach. But the Chiefs became more physical and aggressive after his promotion.

“That’s not a coincidence,” the prominent Chiefs figure said.

Even if Bieniemy is given full reign over Washington’s offense, Rivera’s stated wishes are for a run-heavy approach. With backs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson, the Commanders ranked fourth in rush attempts per game last season (31.6). Bieniemy’s team, with a generational quarterback, finished 25th (24.5), despite leading in most games.

Kansas City’s ground game lacked pop eight games into the season.

“We got to run it,” Bieniemy said. “We got to invest in it, meaning we can’t just run it a few times and expect success.”

The Chiefs rushed for at least 117 yards in the next four games and eight of their final 12, including 158 versus Philadelphia.

There will be plenty of passing as well. Washington lacks a solid tight end, let alone a future Hall of Famer like Travis Kelce, but a trio of playmaking wide receivers headlined by Terry McLaurin should work just fine. Howell’s mobility and willingness to run mesh perfectly with the modern game.

Skeptics of Bieniemy — and Rivera — remain, but they’ll lose talking points if the new coordinator pushes Howell and the offense into a winning unit. This timeline could help Bieniemy raise his head-coaching positioning. A new owner seeking sweeping changes in Washington could instead promote an inspired offensive mind.

Bieniemy now faces the most pivotal season of his career, having left the league’s best team to seek a topper for his resume and finally convince someone to hire him as head coach. Fair or not, the market spoke. Time for Bieniemy to talk back.



Ben Standig is a senior NFL writer focused on the Washington Commanders for The Athletic. The native Washingtonian also hosts the "Standig Room Only" podcast. Ben has covered D.C. area sports since 2005 and is a three-time winner of The Huddle Report's annual NFL mock draft contest. Follow Ben on Twitter @benstandig

[CGVT]

Bieniemy must be a shitty interview to have been OC for a two time Superbowl winning team and have to "prove" himself with another OC job.

Jesus. What bullshit.