Commanders, Kliff Kingsbury Part Ways

The sides are parting ways, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero classifying it as a mutual decision. After the Commanders pried Kingsbury from the Raiders’ grasp in 2024, the former Cardinals HC will be a coaching free agent again. Multiple OC options are set to present themselves, with Pelissero adding Kingsbury is drawing HC interest as well.

The weekend offering from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicated Kingsbury and GM Adam Peters were not seeing eye-to-eye. This separation will stand to make Kingsbury a coveted OC option, and it will be interesting to see which teams reach out regarding head coaching interviews. While this gives Kingsbury more options, the Commanders will now throw Daniels into a new offense.

This separation comes after a Kingsbury meeting with Dan Quinn, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds it comes after Daniels gave his OC a strong endorsement. Daniels dazzled as a rookie, separating from a deep QB class. Daniels’ breakout season booked the Commanders into the NFC championship game for the first time in 33 years. The former Heisman winner’s sophomore NFL slate, however, became an injury-riddled slog. Daniels suffered three injuries and played in only seven games. In those seven games, his completion percentage cratered compared to his rookie year — from 69.0 to 60.6 — and his yards per attempt dropped to 6.7.

Still, Kingsbury was viewed as a high-end HC commodity last year — even on a market that included Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson. The resurgent staffer opted to stay with Washington, preferring his place coaching Daniels. It is difficult to say Kingsbury’s stock has dropped too far. The Titans are interested in meeting with him to discuss their HC position; an interview request is expected. Kingsbury, 46, will now be free to meet about that job in-person at any time. The Giants have also expressed interest, likely giving a dismissed coordinator at least two HC interview opportunities.

While Matt Nagy resides as a likely frontrunner to reunite with Mike Borgonzi in Tennessee, Kingsbury also brings second-chance HC appeal as a coach who has helped two quarterbacks to Pro Bowls. Although Kyler Murray struggled in 2022, Kingsbury guiding the Cardinals’ dual-threat option to first-ballot Pro Bowls in 2020 and ’21 has aged well given the passer’s mid-2020s standing. Daniels gliding to Rookie of the Year honors on Kingsbury’s watch also bolsters the coach’s prospects to land on his feet — especially on a market thin on offensive-minded HC candidates.

It certainly should not be considered a lock Kingsbury receives another HC opportunity during this cycle, but with six vacancies and limited options for OC types, he could be the ultra-rare coordinator to be let go and land a top coaching job.

Kingsbury does have a history of unusual coaching transitions. Texas Tech fired him after the 2018 season, leading him to USC as the planned Trojans OC. But the Cardinals instead hired the ex-Patrick Mahomes college mentor as their head coach. Kingsbury went 28-37-1 in four Arizona seasons, guiding the team to the playoffs in 2021 but finishing 4-13 in 2022.

That led the Cards to fire him despite authorizing an extension months earlier. Kingsbury coached QBs at USC in 2023, allowing him to tutor Caleb Williams that season. Kingsbury then came close to a Raiders OC agreement in 2024, but after Las Vegas only offered a two-year deal, Washington’s three-year offer convinced him to back out of negotiations with the AFC West team.

Washington should see no shortage of interested candidates for its OC position, and after a 5-12 showing, Quinn needs to tab a quality option. The Commanders’ largely Daniels-less season brought a 27th-place finish in scoring and last-place ranking in yardage. The season also featured Terry McLaurin missing extensive time. Washington’s 2025 rankings figure to ding Kingsbury, but his previous work will certainly appeal to teams.