Former Washington Commanders OC & UCLA Agree to Mutually Part Ways

The former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator is now on the hunt for a new gig following a mutual parting of ways with the UCLA Bruins.

Nov 23, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Eric Bieniemy has been an enigma of sorts since his days as the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator. For years towards the end of his run with the Chiefs, Bieniemy was being pushed to receive a head coaching gig in the NFL but eventually realized he needed to move on from the Chiefs in order to show his abilities at calling plays.

Bieniemy eventually wound up with the Washington Commanders as their offensive coordinator but things didn't quite pan out the way that he had hoped as the offense struggled under his tutelage.

With the Commanders looking to go in a new direction, Bieniemy left the NFL and went back to the college ranks, becoming the offensive coordinator for the UCLA Bruins under first-year head coach Deshaun Foster. Now, just one season later, Bieniemy will be looking for a new home after mutually agreeing to part ways with the UCLA Bruins.

UCLA is making a change at offensive coordinator. Eric Bieniemy is out, sources tell @YahooSports. Bruins finished 117th in total offense this season.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 5, 2024

Bieniemy's time in UCLA didn't net any better results than his time in Washington did. The Bruins finished as one of the worst teams in the Big 10 with a 5-7 record, and the offense, while not one of the worst in FBS, only averaged a tad over 18 ppg and struggled in the run game.

Following the announcement that Bieniemy would not be returning to Las Angeles, Bieniemy's agent clarified the reasoning behind the move.

“Eric and UCLA mutually parted ways today as previously planned. He’s still getting paid by the Commanders," Bieniemy's agent Jason Fletcher said in a statement. "After interviewing for head coaching jobs last year, he wanted to stay active and busy. So, he decided to go help out Deshaun Foster, who is like his little brother, at UCLA as opposed to sitting out a year. The plan was always to return to the NFL in 2025, and he’s looking forward to the opportunities ahead.”

Now out of a job, it appears that Bieniemy is itching to dip his feet back into the NFL pool. NFL positions likely won't start opening up until after the season, so it remains to be seen if he would be in a position to return as an offensive coordinator or if he will have to take a lower-level job and work his way back up.

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