When Kliff Kingsbury was hired as the Arizona Cardinals head coach, the former Texas Tech coach was touted as a brilliant offensive mind, set to accomplish big things in the NFL. It didn’t quite work out that way, with Kingsbury being let go after four full seasons with Arizona, leading the Cardinals to an uninspiring 28-37-1 record.
Once Kingsbury was let go, various reports suggested the young coach could opt to take a year off, reflecting on where he went wrong and how he could improve in the future. Yet, Kingsbury didn’t take that time off and instead got right back at it, joining the USC Trojans as their senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach, where he got to work with Caleb Williams.
Williams is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, yet, that wasn’t necessarily thanks to Kingsbury, as he was always expected to be a top pick, even before the duo worked together. Yet, Kingsbury also didn’t negatively impact Williams’s draft stock, which should be seen as a positive.
Now, after just one year at USC, reports are surfacing of a potential return to the NFL in 2024 for Kingsbury.
According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, top head coaching candidates with a defensive background are putting together a list of the best offensive coordinator options available, and Kingsbury is reportedly in that mix.
The current vacancies include Carolina, Las Vegas, and the Los Angeles Chargers, but Washington is expected to search for a new head coach too. Generally, when head coaches are replaced, they pick their own offensive coordinators too. Yet, there’s always the possibility a current offensive coordinator loses their position too, in which case Kingsbury could have a few more options to choose from.