Andrew Hawkins said Thursday the Kansas City Chiefs should rebound in 2026 now that Eric Bieniemy is back running the offense that produced Patrick Mahomes’ best seasons.
Hawkins, a former NFL wide receiver and ESPN analyst, made the remarks as a guest on “The Jim Rome Show.” Host Jim Rome posted a clip of the exchange in which Hawkins credited Bieniemy for much of Kansas City’s earlier offensive success.
“It’s probably understated, Eric Bieniemy’s role in this offense. When you go look at Patrick Mahomes’ career years, they were all under Eric Bieniemy,” Hawkins said.
The Chiefs hired Bieniemy back as offensive coordinator in January after a 6-11 season in 2025. That mark was Kansas City’s first losing record since 2012 and ended a playoff streak that had lasted since 2015.
Bieniemy previously served as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2018 through 2022. In those five seasons the team averaged 30.1 points per game, led the NFL in scoring over the span and won Super Bowls LIV and LVII.
Mahomes’ peak individual seasons lined up with that stretch. In 2018, his first year as the full-time starter, he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns with a 113.8 passer rating. In 2022 he passed for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns, won league MVP and posted a 105.2 rating.
The numbers dropped after Bieniemy left. From 2023 through 2025 Mahomes never reached 4,200 passing yards or 30 touchdown passes in a season. His passer ratings in those years were 92.6, 93.5 and 89.6.
Hawkins argued the decline was not solely about personnel. He said Kansas City also struggled to run the ball consistently without Bieniemy and that the coordinator’s emphasis on accountability had been missing.
“Every year outside of Eric Bieniemy, there’s been struggle,” Hawkins said. “They’ve been able to run the football when Eric Bieniemy is there. He also is one of those coaches that demands accountability.”
The Chiefs added running back Kenneth Walker in the offseason after ranking near the bottom of the league in rushing in 2025. Hawkins said a functional ground game would give Mahomes, who is returning from a torn ACL suffered late last season, a better chance to recapture earlier explosiveness.
Mahomes finished 2025 with 3,587 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games before the knee injury. He also rushed for a career-high 422 yards and five scores.
Hawkins acknowledged questions at wide receiver but said the group still has enough talent if the run game improves and Mahomes is healthy. He predicted the offense could look closer to its earlier form than it did during the three seasons Bieniemy was away.
The Chiefs open the regular season next month. Andy Reid remains head coach and continues to call plays, a structure that existed during Bieniemy’s first tenure as well.
Hawkins’ comments arrived as training camp wound down and roster cuts approached. Bieniemy himself missed part of camp after a family emergency in late July but returned to practice earlier this month.
For a franchise that spent most of the past decade among the NFL’s elite, last year’s collapse still lingers. Hawkins framed Bieniemy’s return as the clearest reason to expect a different result this fall.
Whether that optimism holds will be measured against the same standard that defined the previous Bieniemy years: an offense that scored at will and a quarterback who produced historic numbers.
