New Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has made his first big hire in that role. It could also be a polarizing decision.
According to Peter Schrager of NFL Media, Washington has hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury to run its offense.
Kingsbury, 44, seemed destined to land the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator job before talks broke down between the two sides. Almost immediately, he was linked to Washington’s opening.
A former NFL quarterback, Kingsbury spent this past season as an offensive analyst under USC head coach Lincoln Riley. But it seemed as if he had been eyeing a return to the NFL.
Kingsbury was the Cardinals’ head coach from 2019-22, posting a combined 28-37-1 record in the process. He led two top-10 offenses in the desert.
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The coach’s tenure in the desert was filled with drama between himself and franchise quarterback Kyler Murray. Kingsbury was fired following the 2022 season after posting a 4-13 record.
Despite all of this, he is seen as a respected offensive mind around the football world. It’s certainly something Quinn needs with his expertise being defense.
Kingsbury, Quinn and the Commanders now face the tall task of finding a franchise quarterback. Sam Howell proved he was not that under former head coach Ron Rivera as a sophomore in 2023.
There have been rumors that Washington would love to trade up to the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for USC star quarterback Caleb Williams. Those rumors will now pick up steam with Kingsbury having landed in Maryland.