Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has put together an excellent debut season in Washington; his offense is ranked fourth in yards and fifth in points, while quarterback Jayden Daniels is the runaway favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Kingsbury’s success in Washington has placed him among the top head-coaching candidates in this offseason’s hiring cycle and seems open to another opportunity after a disappointing four seasons leading the Cardinals.
When asked about the subject on Thursday, Kingsbury said that he would want to be a head coach again “at some point,” (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post), though he declined to comment on potential interviews this year.
Kingsbury is an obvious candidate for the Bears’ vacant head coaching position after serving as a senior offensive analyst at USC during Caleb Williams‘ final college season. The two have a “solid relationship,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, which will be crucial to getting the most out of the 2024 No. 1 overall pick after a false start of a rookie year.
Kingsbury is expected to interview in Chicago, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, though he may not be in a rush to leave Washington. His contract with the Cardinals ran through 2027, so Kingsbury is still drawing a head coach’s salary in addition to his current pay from the Commanders. That gives him the flexibility to be “selective” – like Lions OC Ben Johnson – with his next opportunity, per Fowler.
Kingsbury also enjoys working with Daniels under Dan Quinn in Washington, according to Breer, and the Commanders could be even better in 2025 after their surprising playoff run this season. That would boost Kingsbury’s coaching stock further, potentially setting him up for an even better opportunity a year or two down the line.
Kingsbury may also draw renewed interest from the Jets after interviewing for their head coaching job in 2019. He impressed the Johnson family during his interview process, per Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated, though it’s worth noting that owner Woody Johnson was serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom at the time. Kingsbury opted to join the Cardinals, but he could once again find himself on the Jets’ shortlist this time around.