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When the Washington Commanders mutually parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, most assumed he'd quickly land on his feet. If Kingsbury didn't get a head coaching job, he'd likely be the top offensive coordinator candidate available.
Here we are, on February 5, one month after he departed Washington, and Kingsbury still doesn't have a home for 2026. He had a couple of head-coaching interviews but was never a serious candidate for either job. He's had multiple interviews for offensive coordinator positions and hasn't landed any of them either. Kingsbury was reportedly an offensive coordinator candidate for NFC East foes Philadelphia and New York, who both went with less-established play-callers.
Was Washington coach Dan Quinn right all along to move on from Kingsbury?
There are projected to be 21 new offensive coordinators in the NFL for 2026. That's almost 2/3 of the league. Two of those jobs, Arizona (where he was fired as head coach) and Washington, Kingsbury was obviously not a candidate. But the Giants hired Matt Nagy over Kingsbury. Matt Nagy. Seriously? The Eagles hired Sean Mannion. Why not Kingsbury?
The Ravens hired Declan Doyle as their new OC. The Titans hired former Giants coach Brian Daboll, who, after Mike McDaniel, was arguably the best available offensive coordinator candidate during this cycle. The Commanders moved on from Kingsbury, in part, because they didn't want to lose David Blough. Blough replaced his mentor after only two years as a coach.
When Quinn spoke to the media after the season, it was clear there were tensions with Kingsbury. So, it wasn't shocking that Kingsbury wasn't returning once Quinn refused to praise him. The differences between Washington and Kingsbury reportedly weren't personal. It was philosophical. The Commanders wanted to better protect quarterback Jayden Daniels by playing him under center more and becoming a more effective running team. They wanted to be more effective using play action. Kingsbury's scheme is more rigid, though he did an outstanding job adapting throughout a difficult 2025 season, during which he dealt with serious injuries, including to Daniels, at every offensive position.
So, while it makes sense that Washington and Kingsbury parted ways. But why haven't other OC-needy teams hired Kingsbury?
Well, perhaps it's the same reason the Commanders moved on from him. Kingsbury will experience great success initially, before defenses begin to figure out some things. Is his scheme too reliant on a dual-threat quarterback? The current trend in the NFL is offenses rooted in what Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay do. That's not Kingsbury's style or scheme.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reportedly wanted Kingsbury in Baltimore. New coach Jesse Minter chose a first-time play-caller.
There are still some jobs remaining. The Raiders are expected to hire Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak. Kubiak is a Shanahan disciple and will call his own plays. The Bears need an OC to replace Doyle. Ben Johnson calls plays for the Bears, and he's one of the NFL's best.
Perhaps the best option for Kingsbury may be the Rams. McVay lost his OC, Mike LaFleur, to the Cardinals. The likely replacement for LaFleur is Nate Scheelhaase. He's already on staff and is considered a future head coach — and soon. McVay also calls his own plays, but has seen more than one of his offensive coordinators land a head coaching position. So, that's probably not an option either. But working one year with one of the NFL's top offensive minds, whether it's McVay or Johnson, could help Kingsbury in his quest to eventually land another NFL head coaching job. It's an opportunity to adapt his system. But he has to want that to happen.
One year ago, the Commanders were relieved when Kingsbury didn't accept a head-coaching job and would return in 2025. His leaving in 2026 seemed inevitable, but for a much different reason. Now, we are looking at the real possibility that Kingsbury does not even land another offensive coordinator job in 2026.
Does that prove Dan Quinn made the correct decision? If other teams aren't hiring Kingsbury either, is that a red flag? Quinn clearly believes in Blough, or he wouldn't have decided to move on from Kingsbury. The longer this goes, there's a real possibility that Kingsbury isn't calling plays anywhere in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Kliff Kingsbury still hasn't landed a job
Continue reading...
Here we are, on February 5, one month after he departed Washington, and Kingsbury still doesn't have a home for 2026. He had a couple of head-coaching interviews but was never a serious candidate for either job. He's had multiple interviews for offensive coordinator positions and hasn't landed any of them either. Kingsbury was reportedly an offensive coordinator candidate for NFC East foes Philadelphia and New York, who both went with less-established play-callers.
Was Washington coach Dan Quinn right all along to move on from Kingsbury?
There are projected to be 21 new offensive coordinators in the NFL for 2026. That's almost 2/3 of the league. Two of those jobs, Arizona (where he was fired as head coach) and Washington, Kingsbury was obviously not a candidate. But the Giants hired Matt Nagy over Kingsbury. Matt Nagy. Seriously? The Eagles hired Sean Mannion. Why not Kingsbury?
The Ravens hired Declan Doyle as their new OC. The Titans hired former Giants coach Brian Daboll, who, after Mike McDaniel, was arguably the best available offensive coordinator candidate during this cycle. The Commanders moved on from Kingsbury, in part, because they didn't want to lose David Blough. Blough replaced his mentor after only two years as a coach.
When Quinn spoke to the media after the season, it was clear there were tensions with Kingsbury. So, it wasn't shocking that Kingsbury wasn't returning once Quinn refused to praise him. The differences between Washington and Kingsbury reportedly weren't personal. It was philosophical. The Commanders wanted to better protect quarterback Jayden Daniels by playing him under center more and becoming a more effective running team. They wanted to be more effective using play action. Kingsbury's scheme is more rigid, though he did an outstanding job adapting throughout a difficult 2025 season, during which he dealt with serious injuries, including to Daniels, at every offensive position.
So, while it makes sense that Washington and Kingsbury parted ways. But why haven't other OC-needy teams hired Kingsbury?
Well, perhaps it's the same reason the Commanders moved on from him. Kingsbury will experience great success initially, before defenses begin to figure out some things. Is his scheme too reliant on a dual-threat quarterback? The current trend in the NFL is offenses rooted in what Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay do. That's not Kingsbury's style or scheme.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reportedly wanted Kingsbury in Baltimore. New coach Jesse Minter chose a first-time play-caller.
There are still some jobs remaining. The Raiders are expected to hire Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak. Kubiak is a Shanahan disciple and will call his own plays. The Bears need an OC to replace Doyle. Ben Johnson calls plays for the Bears, and he's one of the NFL's best.
Perhaps the best option for Kingsbury may be the Rams. McVay lost his OC, Mike LaFleur, to the Cardinals. The likely replacement for LaFleur is Nate Scheelhaase. He's already on staff and is considered a future head coach — and soon. McVay also calls his own plays, but has seen more than one of his offensive coordinators land a head coaching position. So, that's probably not an option either. But working one year with one of the NFL's top offensive minds, whether it's McVay or Johnson, could help Kingsbury in his quest to eventually land another NFL head coaching job. It's an opportunity to adapt his system. But he has to want that to happen.
One year ago, the Commanders were relieved when Kingsbury didn't accept a head-coaching job and would return in 2025. His leaving in 2026 seemed inevitable, but for a much different reason. Now, we are looking at the real possibility that Kingsbury does not even land another offensive coordinator job in 2026.
Does that prove Dan Quinn made the correct decision? If other teams aren't hiring Kingsbury either, is that a red flag? Quinn clearly believes in Blough, or he wouldn't have decided to move on from Kingsbury. The longer this goes, there's a real possibility that Kingsbury isn't calling plays anywhere in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Kliff Kingsbury still hasn't landed a job
Continue reading...
