Report: Chiefs exploring adding Pep Hamilton to offensive coaching staff
The Kansas City Chiefs could seek to add a veteran offensive assistant coach to their staff according to a new report.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweeted early Thursday morning that the Chiefs have explored the possibility of adding Pep Hamilton to their staff in some capacity. Hamilton got his start in the NFL as an offensive quality control coach with the Jets in 2003 under Herm Edwards. He was quickly promoted to quarterbacks coach, then wide receivers coach. He spent time with the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears before returning to the college level at Stanford. He’d work alongside Andrew Luck both at college and in the NFL with the Colts, earning a reputation as a QB whisperer of sorts.
Hamilton is most recently known for the work he did with Chargers QB Justin Herbert during his rookie season in Los Angeles. He spent the last two seasons with the Houston Texans, first working as a passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach before working as offensive coordinator under Lovie Smith in 2022.
I'm told the #Chiefs have explored the possibility of adding Pep Hamilton to their staff, per league sources. Hamilton served as the #Texans offensive coordinator in 2022. The carousel is fluid, with a lot of moving parts still up in the air. We'll see how it goes.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 23, 2023
It’s unclear if the Chiefs have interviewed Hamilton yet, but they’re shuffling their offensive coaching staff after Eric Bieniemy’s departure. Hamilton has experience working as a position coach, which could be a possibility in Kansas City and one reason for a hold-up on a hire with the coaching carousel still quite fluid as Anderson mentions in her report. Hamilton also has experience as a coordinator running a West Coast system with influences from the Air Coryell and Digit offenses. The expectation has been that Matt Nagy will be promoted to offensive coordinator in Kansas City, but adding a new voice with new ideas could help take the Chiefs’ offense to new heights.
It’s worth noting in this instance that the Chiefs must satisfy the Rooney Rule and interview at least one external minority coaching candidate before filling the vacancy at offensive coordinator. The same goes for the quarterback coaching position should Nagy be promoted.
