With the New York Giants prowling the free agent pool of head coaches, several options have risen to the top, including former Green Bay HC Mike McCarthy, and program head for Baylor, Matt Rhule.
Both have their respective pros and cons, with McCarthy being the most experienced among the available options, with the exception of Jason Garrett, who’s expected to be on the market as well.
The New York Giants have an underrated option:
Current Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, is a target that might offer fresh blood and fantastic knowledge for Big Blue. Bieniemy doesn’t have any head coaching experience in the NFL, but he has been learning behind Andy Ried, one of the league’s premier coaches.
Here’s a look at Bienmiey’s coaching history:
During his early collegiate years, the Chiefs’ OC served as the running backs coach for the Colorado Buffaloes from 2001 to 2002, and then at UCLA from 2003 to 2005. He then made the jump to the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL, serving as their running backs coach, helping maximize Adrian Peterson in his prime. Peterson led the NFC in rushing yards with 1,341 in 2007 and 2008 with 1,760 yards. In 2010, Bieniemy was named the Vikings’ assistant coach for the offense.
After a lengthy stint in the NFL, he returned to Colorado as the team’s offensive coordinator under head coach Jon Embree. In 2013, he made his way to Kansas City as the running back coach and was promoted in 2018 to offensive coordinator. In his first season as OC, the Chiefs were first in the NFL in yards per game and points scores, thanks to Patrick Mahomes and a deadly group of running backs.
Bieniemy’s success with the Chiefs have made him an excellent candidate to take the next step and become a head coach in the NFL, but his lack of experience concerns, as it should be. The Giants hired Pat Shurmur after a short stint as head coach with the Cleveland Browns, and that backfired immensely.
If New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch are looking for fresh blood and a coaching style that would maximize Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones, Bieniemy shouldn’t be overlooked.