Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy could be adding another head-coaching interview to his tally.
According to a new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Houston Texans have officially requested an interview with Bieniemy. Houston was long-considered a favorable destination for Bieniemy, but he hadn’t received an interview request up to this point.
The decision to interview Bieniemy comes after some very public drama surrounding Texans QB Deshaun Watson’s discontent with the decision-makers in Houston. Watson was told that he would have input on the next GM and coaching hires, but the Texans proceeded to hire Nick Caserio without much input from Watson. Reports also expressed significant frustration stemming from their failure to interview Bieniemy for the team’s head-coaching vacancy. Bieniemy, of course, came highly-recommended by Watson’s friend, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.
The #Texans have officially requested an interview with #Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, source said. Already a busy candidate, Bieniemy adds another to his list.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2021
Bieniemy has already completed interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars for their head-coaching vacancies. The Texans and now the Philadelphia Eagles are the only two teams with vacancies that he has yet to interview for.
Our latest update on Bieniemy told us that he’s very much still “in the mix” for the job with the Falcons. It does, however, appear that other teams are moving forward with other interviews and candidates in mind.
As for Houston’s interview request, this screams of the team trying to save face in the eyes of their fans and franchise quarterback. I guess it’s better late than never for them. It’s hard to believe that this interview will be anything more than a charade. If I were Bieniemy, I’m not so sure I would take the interview given the situation.
Whatever the case, Bieniemy won’t be able to interview with the Texans anytime soon assuming the Chiefs advance in the playoffs. The NFL’s anti-tampering policy won’t allow teams to interview Bieniemy until the Chiefs lose in the playoffs. If they make it to Super Bowl LV, they wouldn’t be able to interview Bieniemy until after.
Houston will have to wait: Based on the anti-tampering policy, the initial interview window for Eric Bieniemy closed Sunday, so the #Texans aren't permitted to interview him until the #Chiefs lose or after the Super Bowl, whichever comes first. https://t.co/6zMHwxmcFC
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 12, 2021
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