Interview of Chiefs’ Bieniemy must wait
Move may help team ease rift with Watson but is delayed until K.C.’s season is over
Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, strongly endorsed by Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, emerged as a candidate for the Texans’ head coaching vacancy Tuesday.
The Texans officially requested an interview with Bieniemy, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly, in the middle of a simmering controversy between the organization and its disgruntled quarterback.
Watson wants the Texans to consider Bieniemy, 51, who wasn’t on their initial list of requests prior to the team hiring former New England executive Nick Caserio as their new general manager, according to sources.
Under NFL interview policies, though, for coaches whose teams are still in the playoffs, the Texans will have to wait to interview Bieniemy until the Chiefs are out of the playoffs or until after Super Bowl LV. The top-seeded Chiefs host the Cleveland Browns this week.
Interviewing Bieniemy and potentially hiring him could help the team repair its relationship with Watson along with landing a highly respected coach.
Watson remains upset after chairman and chief operating officer Cal McNair told him several times he would have input into the hiring process for the team’s next GM and coach. Instead, Watson learned of Caserio’s hire via
social media just as he did when the team traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, according to multiple sources. Watson has returned to Houston from his vacation in Cabo San Lucas and attended the Rockets-Lakers game Tuesday night.
Howthe Bieniemy interviewrequest affects the dynamic between the Texans and Watson is unpredictable. There’s always the possibility that the team could hire another candidate before Bieniemy becomes available to interview. Or Bieniemy could decline the Texans’ request, many industry sources theorized, unless it was made clear that he’s certain of ultimately getting the
job.
“Deshaun is the key to everything for the Texans because guys like him don’t come into the NFL all of the time. This is not some middling quarterback. This is someone with the potential to go to the Hall of Fame,” said former New York Giants vice president Marc Ross, a NFL Network analyst. “You have tomake sure Deshaun feels wanted, supported and feels strong about everything so he can perform at his optimal best. It’s all about Deshaun, not catering to him per se, but making sure he is included and that his voice is being heard by the organization.
“I think the timing right now is
the complaint, because it’s not like Eric Bieniemy was some hidden candidate. He was considered the No. 1 candidate with bigtime recommendations from the Kansas City staff and Patrick Mahomes. If the Texans really wanted him, then the priority would have been scheduling him right away. I don’t think they wait around for Eric Bieniemy, but we’ll see. If I’m Eric, Ihave to wonder about whether the request is sincere. If it is, then they should talk and see where it goes.”
Unlike the NBA where superstars like LeBron James have had a voice in major decisions, it’s a rarity in the NFL for a player to have real juice. Peyton Manning, during his time with Indianapolis, is one of the few to have some influence.
“Deshaun’s status and influence on the game, this is a newwave type of player,” Ross said. “The NBA is a singularly athlete-driven league. The NFL is always about the team and sacrificing for the team. This will be fascinating to watch and see how this plays and out and see how Deshaun voices his power.”
Watson’s frustrations grew and his patience waned during a 4-12 season despite leading the NFL in passing yards and throwing 33 touchdown passes.
Could Watson actually be traded? The Miami Dolphins are a team Watson would consider if a trade scenario was to develop, according to sources, but his preference is to remain with the Texans provided that things can be worked out to his satisfaction. The Texans “strongly” have no plans to trade Watson, according to sources.
Bieniemy has been popular for the third year in a row on the job circuit, including interviews with Atlanta, the New York Jets, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit.
“The coaching speaks for itself,” said Ross, an executive for Philadelphia at the end of Bieniemy’s NFL playing career in 1999. “I’ve been around Tom Coughlin and Andy Reid, and they are leaders. Eric Bieniemy has been a leader at every stage of his life. We had him in Philly and he had a presence about him. The connection with Watson would be first and foremost what drives their connection.”