Here’s What Kelce Said Previously About Potential New Chiefs’ OC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Four years ago, Travis Kelce went out of his way to praise Eric Bieniemy in the offensive coordinator’s quest to become an NFL head coach.

Bieniemy, now expected to return as Chiefs offensive coordinator, never got a head-coach offer but he did stay in Kansas City and got another Super Bowl ring.

“Week-in, week-out,” Kelce said as a pregame guest on ESPN before Super Bowl 56 in February of 2022, “he has our team prepared and ready to go. Everyone says it's an Andy Reid offense. He has 51 percent; I'm not going to say it's not. But it is a collective. It is a collective group putting this offense together.”

Stewarding the other 49 percent of the offense is critical, especially after the Chiefs’ accountability and production slipped over the last three years without Bieniemy.

travis kelc — Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) arrives before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Slipping offensive discipline

Kelce in 2025 surely looked around meeting rooms and practices, and even games, and saw the discipline slipping across the offense, especially in the season’s second half. And now that he knows Bieniemy is returning, the most obvious question is how that decision will affect Kelce’s decision.

When Eric Bieniemy was the Chiefs OC the first time, Travis Kelce was his biggest champion and let everyone know what his role really is/was pic.twitter.com/FsmmWdkI2e
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) January 19, 2026

Whether the future Hall of Famer returns for a 14th NFL season in 2026 may have been solidified on Monday, when Bieniemy reportedly agreed to return and serve under Kelce’s future Hall of Fame head coach.

At least Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Creed Humphrey and others who played under Bieniemy know what to expect.

“I ask everybody to come on in,” Kelce said four years ago, “see who's standing up in front of our offense, getting us ready for situational football. Who's in front of us week-in, week-out, at halftime, trying to make adjustments. Who’s the guy that's rallying this group and has the emotion as a player and as a coach to keep us firing as an offensive unit?

“And that's Eric Bieniemy. And I've been a big fan of him my entire career. He's done unbelievable things for my skill set, personally, and my mentality in terms of helping me grow as a player.”

Best years of his career

He grew tremendously. In fact, with Bieniemy on staff, the tight end turned in his three highest single-season receptions marks (110 in 2022, 105 in 2020 and 103 in 2018). Kelce’s touchdown receptions and receiving yards also were notably better with Bieniemy in that role.

Bieniemy’s presence also benefitted the Chiefs as a whole. Over the last three years (2023-25), Kansas City has averaged just 348.3 net offensive yards, 18th in the NFL over that period. With Bieniemy as offensive coordinator from 2018-22, Kansas City ranked first with 416.5 net yards per game.

With Nagy as Chiefs offensive coordinator from 2023-25, Mahomes was only the 21st ranked passer in the league, with a 92.0 passer rating, over the last three years. With Bieniemy as OC from 2018-22, Mahomes was first in the league with a 106.0 mark.

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