The Jets announced they have completed their interview with Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their head-coach opening.
Bieniemy is the first person known to have interviewed for the job. The Chiefs are the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and have a bye this weekend, allowing Bieniemy to interview this week. Other candidates whose teams play this weekend must wait until after their games to interview.
This is the second time the Jets have interviewed Bieniemy. They interviewed him in 2019 before hiring Adam Gase, who was fired Sunday after two seasons with the team.
The 51-year-old Bieniemy has been the offensive coordinator in Kansas City for three seasons. The Chiefs finished with the No. 1 offense in the NFL this year. The biggest question about Bieniemy is how much credit he deserves for the Chiefs’ success and how much is due to head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It is unclear how much say Bieniemy has in play-calling with Reid handing those duties primarily.
The first round of interviews are all being conducted virtually. The Jets likely will bring a few coaches to Florham Park for a second interview later in the process.
The Jets are also known to have requested interviews with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. All of them are part of playoff teams with games this weekend so their interviews will not happen until next week.