Eric Bieniemy and Patrick Mahomes at Kansas City Chiefs training camp in 2022.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports.
After he was absent from the Kansas City Chiefs' training camp for the last two weeks, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy returned after his wife, Mia, was shot by their son.
Matt Derrick shared a video of Bieniemy walking into practice on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. He was greeted with a warm hug from Mitch Holthus, the team's play-by-play announcer.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy back at practice Monday, getting a hug from voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus. pic.twitter.com/xKmSjsUQtu
They shared a quick exchange after their hug. Bieniemy then got to work with his team. He did appear happy to be back at work in the video.
Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy's wife was shot by their son as training camp began
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.
It has been a challenging couple of weeks for Bieniemy and his wife. His wife was shot at their home in Ashburn, Virginia, on Sunday, July 26, 2026, by their son, Elijah, and was subsequently hospitalized.
The Chiefs' offensive coordinator returned to Virginia, going on a temporary leave as training camp commenced. Joe Bleymaier, the team's pass game coordinator, took over as OC in his absence.
While the team had two weeks of practice without their offensive coordinator, Bieniemy still helped out from afar. He was watching live feeds of practice, giving feedback.
The Chiefs are hoping for big things from Bieniemy's return in 2026. He came back to Kansas City after leaving following the 2022 season to become the Washington Commanders' assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2023.
He would then jump around from college back to the pros, briefly serving as UCLA's assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2024 before becoming the Chicago Bears' running backs coach in 2025.
Bieniemy was crucial in Patrick Mahomes' development, taking over as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator in 2018, the same year the Texas Tech product took the reins as the starting quarterback. Bieniemy was the offensive coordinator during Mahomes' two MVP seasons. They also won two Super Bowls together and are hoping to win a third in 2026.