Washington Commanders to hire Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator

NFL Network’s Peter Schrager reports Sunday that former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has agreed to terms to become the next offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders.

Kingsbury returns to the NFL after spending 2023 as the Senior Offensive Analyst at USC under Lincoln Riley after spending the previous four seasons as the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

Kingsbury joins the staff of newly hired Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, who was hired by Washington last Friday following three seasons as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.

This offseason Kingsbury also applied for offensive coordinator jobs with the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and the Las Vegas Raiders. Withdrawing his name from consideration for the Las Vegas Raiders job on Saturday with Las Vegas expected to hire Luke Getsy as their next OC.

Kingsbury played college football at Texas Tech where he threw for 12,423 yards and 95 touchdowns in 43 games before being selected in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Following his player career he transitioned into coaching, becoming one of the most renowned offensive minds with an impressive list of of quarterbacks coached.

In 2012 Kingsbury was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas A&M, coaching Johnny Manziel the season he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. The following season he became the head coach of his alma mater, leading Texas Tech to a 35-40 record in his six seasons as the Red Raiders head coach. Where he coached two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes.

Kingsbury became the Arizona Cardinals head coach in 2019, ending his four seasons at the helm with a 28-37 record and one playoff appearance. During his stint with the Cardinals, quarterback Kyler Murray won the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned two Pro Bowl selections.

Washington is hoping that Kingsbury can breed that same success with the Commanders’ next quarterback, with many anticipating the franchise selecting a quarterback with their No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. Former Heisman trophy winner Caleb Williams is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, who Kingsbury also coached in the 2023 season at USC.

Kingsbury joins Washington as they look to embark on a new era, with Quinn as their new head coach and Adam Peters becoming their new general manager in January.