Report: Kliff Kingsbury 'leading candidate' for Washington Commanders OC job

USC analyst Kliff Kingsbury is the leading candidate for the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator job, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“Former Cardinals’ HC Kliff Kingsbury, who was close to becoming the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, is a leading candidate to become the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, per sources,” Schefter wrote on Twitter.

Kingsbury recently pulled out of consideration for the OC job with the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, it looks like he might have a new destination to get back to the NFL.

Kingsbury previously spent the 2023 season as a senior offensive analyst at USC under Lincoln Riley. During four three seasons as head coach in Arizona, he finished his tenure with the Cardinals with a 28–37–1 record with one playoff appearance.

Before his time in Arizona, Kingsbury was the head coach at Texas Tech where he coached and recruited Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes and Kingsbury teamed up to lead one of the NCAA’s most prolific passing offenses in 2015 when Mahomes threw for 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns while adding 465 yards and 10 touchdowns in the running game.

Mahomes took a big leap as a junior in 2016 when he threw for a career-high 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also had 285 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, giving him 53 total scores before the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Kingsbury was interviewed by Pierce over the past week and was also given interviews for the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles OC jobs as well. The Eagles opted for Kellen Moore at OC, who just finished a stint with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Washington Commanders hired Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their new head coach. Naturally, Kingsbury would control the entire offense if he joins.

Quinn, 53, has served as Cowboys defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Dallas’ defense took a big jump in 2023, finishing as the No. 5 ranked unit in the league.

Prior to joining the Cowboys, Quinn spent five plus seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Quinn went 43-42, leading Atlanta to a Super Bowl defeat in 2016. The Falcons relieved him of his duties after an 0-5 start to the 2020 season. Quinn famously coached the “Legion of Boom” defense in Seattle, helping lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in 2013.