Raiders Face Competition for OC Candidate: ‘There Could Be a Little Bidding War’

Getty Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

It recently emerged that Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce had a favorite to be his offensive coordinator if he got the job. Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd reported that former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury was expected to join the Raiders as the offensive coordinator on Pierce’s staff.

However, things may be a bit more complicated. According to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, Kingsbury is going to be a hot commodity in the league this offseason.

“Our guy Kingsbury, he’s a hot name right now,” Schrager said on the January 17 episode of “The Herd.” “… Every single team that’s got one of these vacancies at OC is calling me because I’m friendly with him, and saying, ‘Is your guy ready to come back, what do you think?’ I know you were on it last week saying he was a Raiders favorite … Kingsbury might be a hot name for NFL OC jobs again.”

Cowherd believes that it could get expensive to land Kingsbury.

“There could be a little bidding war for Kliff Kingsbury,” Cowherd added.

What works in favor of the Raiders is that Pierce isn’t likely to make a ton of money if he’s given the head coaching job, which gives them more money to spend on his staff.

Will Las Vegas Raiders Land Kliff Kingsbury?

Based on Peter Schrager’s report, it sounds like Kliff Kingsbury will have his pick of a number of jobs this offseason. One thing that could make the Raiders appealing is that he’d be able to completely own the offense. Antonio Pierce is a defensive-minded coach so that’s where much of his focus will be.

Kingsbury would get to develop the type of playbook he wants and would likely have a lot of input on offensive personnel. Plus, the Raiders have an offense with some talent. Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Michael Mayer are all appealing pieces that Kingsbury can work with.

The team could also bring back Josh Jacobs, who is one of the top running backs in the NFL. Kingsbury doesn’t have to start from scratch and could have success with the Raiders offense quickly. Pierce should also be an appealing coach to work with considering he gave his assistants a lot of freedom this past season.

Why Kliff Kingsbury Could Be Appealing to Las Vegas Raiders

For the Raiders, the offensive coordinator hire is very important. The team had one of the worst offenses in the NFL this season and only averaged 19.5 points a game – 23rd in the league. The struggles were mainly due to lackluster quarterback play and play calling as there’s a lot of talent on the roster.

The Raiders will likely look to add a young quarterback this offseason and Kliff Kingsbury has a track record of developing the position. He’s worked with quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. The Raiders need to have an offensive coordinator who can develop a young quarterback and Kingsbury fits the mold.

If Pierce thinks Kingsbury is the right man for the job, the Raiders should aggressively pursue him. Considering Pierce would be heading into his first year as a full-time head coach, adding an assistant with head coaching experience would also be wise.