Kliff Kingsbury is NFL’s most interesting free agent coach: Here’s what’s next

Kliff Kingsbury has been many things as a coordinator and coach – Case Keenum’s college offensive coordinator, Johnny Manziel’s college offensive coordinator, Patrick Mahomes’ college coach, Kyler Murray’s NFL coach and Jayden Daniels’ NFL offensive coordinator – but he has also always been one thing: himself.

The fast-paced, shotgun-centric “Air Raid” offense (with adjustments) has been his thing. Good, bad, in between, whatever the location or role. He’s always been a tireless worker: In 2022, “Hard Knocks” filmed him waking up just after 3 a.m. and arriving at the Arizona Cardinals’ training facility before 4 a.m., citing as a motivating factor his playing career failing to reach the heights he wanted. Along with Washington’s commanders, he and Daniels were routinely among the first to go to the facility.

“I’m pretty consistent with the coaching style,” Kingsbury said at the start of 2025 training camp, when he was just breaking through with the Commanders.

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And toward the end of the year, Washington’s disappointing 5-12 season that proved his ouster?

“Yeah, I saw [the no-huddle offense] done at a high level, you know, whether it’s in Arizona or here at a very high level and I’ve won games and gotten a lot of yards, a lot of success in that regard. So, I think I’m pretty confident, you know, in this style of play, when the pieces are there, that you can play at a very high level, and it’s a very difficult offensive stop. »

Kingsbury, 46, didn’t have the pieces this year; that’s for sure. Daniels only played in seven games, and he left three of them early. All parties involved wish Terry McLaurin’s extension had been done sooner so he could have more time to grow with Daniels in training camp and get back into shape: McLaurin suffered a quad injury in Week 3 and played in a career-low 10 games. The team’s other top outside receiver, Noah Brown, appeared in just four games. The offensive line was not complete until mid-October.

And yet the Commanders still finished 12th in offensive success rate and won games not only with Daniels but with Marcus Mariota. And Josh Johnson. The players spoke enthusiastically about Kingsbury, with Daniels saying “I love working with Cliff” and “Me and him have a special relationship.” Mariota praised Kingsbury’s system for making things easier for the quarterback. McLaurin spoke about how he, his role and his lineups have grown under Kingsbury and also praised Kingsbury for being “open to communication.”

But coach Dan Quinn wanted a more traditional, time-management, run-oriented approach, ESPN’s John Keim reported, even though it went against what Kingsbury has always been about. The Commanders had the fifth-highest rushing rate in the NFL during Kingsbury’s two seasons as offensive coordinator, but they also had the most quarterback carries in the NFL (24th most running back carries). Kingsbury’s system proved great for Daniels in the first year. He was less successful in the second year for several reasons, some of which were beyond Kingsbury’s control.

“There’s a ton of different decisions that I wish we would have made and that I would have made, and more like individual game decisions than anything else, you know, our style of play was a little different,” Kingsbury said. “Like I said, trying to slow down games, limit possessions, do things of that nature. But yeah, there’s a ton of things I wish I had done better as far as planning and maximizing players and things of that nature.”

Kingsbury was unable to control his injuries. He couldn’t control that the defense was one of the worst in the NFL.

“We had a group of guys that were kind of in and out of the lineup, and it’s a credit to this team for getting those guys ready,” Mariota said.

This isn’t a “bad” call by Quinn per se, but it’s certainly a big call. Sometimes circumstances change. Sometimes strategies change. The commanders will have big changes coming, and Quinn better be right.

Kingsbury, meanwhile, will likely be in the running for the head coach and offensive coordinator positions. Call his offense what you want, but it’s not a “gimmick” in any sense of the word. Kingsbury demonstrated flexibility and creativity as a playmaker and play designer. The Commanders had a multi-faceted rushing attack and a screen game that worked wonders in its prime. Kingsbury helped produce not only a career year for McLaurin, but also a revival of Zach Ertz in his mid-30s and a rebound of Deebo Samuel in his late 20s. He often settled for castoffs and youngsters, elevating the play of players such as Noah Brown, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus.

Here’s where Kingsbury could end up next.

Kingsbury has previously expressed a desire to return as head coach, and he decided to stay in Washington last year when he might have been a top candidate for the job. It remains to be seen how much a difficult 2025 hurt his coaching candidacy, but his best bet might be to remain offensive coordinator.

He’ll need a mobile quarterback, a versatile running game and a few weapons to maximize this offense, and the Giants stand out as the team that best fits that bill. Jaxson Dart has shown impressive running ability, and the Giants have a tandem of capable running backs in bruising Cam Skattebo as well as the speedier Tyrone Tracy Jr., who has quietly reached over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his two seasons. Malik Nabers looked like a star in the making before an early-season knee injury, and Wan’Dale Robinson could also be a versatile and mobile chess piece. Tracy and Robinson in particular could help fuel Kingsbury’s versatility as a playmaker and designer.

Cam Ward quietly finished his rookie season strong, throwing eight touchdowns and just one interception in his final four full games (he left the season finale with a shoulder injury but will not need surgery). He doesn’t run like Murray, Daniels or Dart, but he’s not a statue either. He showed impressive escaping ability during his rookie season, and his sack numbers declined accordingly.

Ward said he wanted to be involved in the coach recruitment processand if the candidate present isn’t it Kingsbury, he better make him offensive coordinator. The Titans still have a long way to go in their rebuilding process, but Kingsbury has developed young quarterbacks everywhere he has gone. Tennessee also has gifted but inconsistent wide receivers in Himere Dike and Elic Ayomanor.

3. Coach of the Giants

The Giants would do well to strongly consider Kingsbury for the lead gig, not just coordinator. Kingsbury undoubtedly learned from his time as Cardinals coach, which included building a team from 3-13 the year before getting to 5-10, then 8-8, then 11-6. People often remember his last season – 4-13 – and his struggles in the second half of the season, but they forget how good a job he did, with a total of two tenths in offenses. He did it all with Kyler Murray, a quarterback who not only had limitations, but played his best ball under Kingsbury and now appears on his way out of Arizona.

Hiring Kingsbury would be a big gamble. He would have to respond correctly to the defensive coordinator’s call. The Giants really struggled on that front in 2025, but they have some fundamental pieces along the way. This is an important market that is closely monitored. If Kingsbury is up for it, he and Dart could form a solid partnership.

The Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris, and while that won’t stop offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from returning, there’s a reasonable chance whoever succeeds Morris will want to pick his offensive coordinator. If this coach is new, having Kingsbury’s experience would be helpful; if it is isn’t it for his first time, Kingsbury could still do the trick.

Atlanta has a strong offensive line, a versatile superstar running back in Bijan Robinson and a star receiver in Drake London. Quarterback is a big question, but Michael Penix Jr. has operated shotgun his entire career, so there’s at least some synergy there. Penix is ​​not a dual-threat guy, but Kingsbury has shown the ability to adapt. And if Penix turns out not to be the answer, Kingsbury could once again be a mentor to another young quarterback.

NOTE: We have not considered sending Kingsbury back to the Cardinals, nor have we considered him for any openings for the Las Vegas Raiders. Kingsbury withdrew from Raiders offensive coordinator search at the last minute, two years ago.