A reminder that Eric Bieniemy helped Chiefs win second of back-to-back Super Bowls
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- Eric Bieniemy left Chiefs for Commanders after the 2022 season and was fired in Feb 2024.
- He drove to the Chiefs’ Baltimore hotel before the AFC title game and boosted team morale.
- Players credited Bieniemy’s presence as a factor in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII win.
Eric Bieniemy left the Chiefs for the Washington Commanders following the 2022 NFL season, but it was a short stay in the nation’s capital.
After just one season, Bieniemy was fired by incoming Commanders coach Dan Quinn in early February 2024. Bieniemy wasn’t expected back, but before his departure became official, he made a special trip to help the Chiefs on their quest for a Super Bowl repeat.
Bieniemy drove to the Chiefs’ team hotel in Baltimore the night before the AFC Championship Game a few weeks earlier. The Ravens were favorites in the game, but the Chiefs won 17-10 and advanced to Super Bowl LVIII.
Bieniemy reportedly will be back with the Chiefs as offensive coordinator, and that visit is a good reminder of what it meant to the players to have him back that night in Baltimore.
Before beating the 49ers 25-22 in overtime of that Super Bowl, players talked about Bieniemy’s visit.
“It’s always great to have EB be in the building, just being there and the energy that he brings and the mentality that he brings,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said at the time, per Fox Sports. “He loves being there. He loves being a part of the team and being a part of that culture. So just having him back in the building was really cool, and listening to him talk and his energy ... I think guys had a little bit of (goosebumps), like, ‘Hey, we got EB back here.’”
Tight end Travis Kelce was equally thrilled to see Bieniemy that night.
“Man, EB was a special coach here for a long, long time,” Kelce said. “He’s like my uncle or my father figure in football. Everyone knows how fired up he can get. He’s one of my favorite coaches of all time.”
Kelce’s future plans are unknown, as he seems to be pondering retirement, but if he returns to the Chiefs, it seems he’ll be reunited with Bieniemy.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 11:18 AM with the headline "A reminder that Eric Bieniemy helped Chiefs win second of back-to-back Super Bowls."
