Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who previous reports suggested had accepted a job as the Raiders offensive coordinator, has instead taken the same job with Washington Commanders, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Kingsbury was a hot commodity in this year’s coaching carousel, also interviewing for the Bears offensive coordinator position in addition to Vegas.
He now, according to Schefter, has just accepted a job with the Commanders that is at least the third he’s interviewed for.
Commanders are hiring Kliff Kingsbury as their new offensive coordinator, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 5, 2024
Maybe we should take this Schefter report with a grain of salt, considering he’s the one who originally reported Kingsbury to Vegas. But I don’t see him getting it this wrong twice in a row.
Schefter reported that contract talks broke down between the two sides and that Kingsbury withdrew himself from consideration.
Regarding the Raiders and Kliff Kingsbury: Contract talks broke down.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2024
Now it appears the offensive wizard will join Dan Quinn‘s D.C. staff. That fact has fueled speculation that Washington, who holds the second overall pick in the upcoming draft, may try and make a move for highly touted quarterback Caleb Williams. (RELATED: For The Love Of God, NFL, Please Do Not Let Dan Quinn Be A Head Coach Again)
Kingsbury comes to D.C. straight from his previous job as passing game coordinator at the University of Southern California, where he worked closely with Williams.
Williams even sent his old coach congratulations upon hearing the news, posting “My dawg congrats” on his Instagram story, according to 7 News DC’s Scott Abraham.
Last night Bowie native and expected number 1 pick Caleb Williams posted this on his IG story.
Caleb congratulating Kliff Kingsbury on getting the OC job with the Commanders.
Kingsbury and Caleb worked together this past season at USC. pic.twitter.com/xZjImqK4nw
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) February 5, 2024
While Williams is widely regarded as the surefire top pick in the draft, Schefter speculated that the Commies could make a move to try and trade up with the Bears to acquire number one and take Williams.
While any trade for one overall would likely require a massive package, having the number two pick certainly helps value-wise.
And the Bears are no stranger to moving down, having acquired their number one pick this year in a trade with the Carolina Panthers last year, also for the first overall selection.
That move worked out well for the Bears, who acquired stud receiver D.J. Moore and this year’s pick.
If the Commies do trade up, Williams could be Washington’s first legitimate franchise quarterback since Kirk Cousins.
As a Giants fan, I hate this because I’m so used to the Commanders franchise making terrible decisions, like naming themselves the Commanders for instance. Kliff wasn’t fantastic as a head coach but he’s undoubtedly one of the great offensive minds of the game. I have to reluctantly applaud Washington for this call.