At some point, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to have to explain to their “shareholders” why Kliff Kingsbury has not been hired as their next offensive coordinator and if it doesn’t happen the Birds will surely live to regret it because on paper, and on film, the fit makes almost too much sense.
Kingsbury checks nearly every box the Eagles should be prioritizing as they reshape an offense built around a dual-threat quarterback and a roster that still leans heavily on speed, spacing, and quarterback driven stress. And yet, as the search drags on, his name remains curiously absent from serious momentum.
Kingbury interviewed for the same position with Philly prior to the 2024 season but the Eagles went with Kellen Moore.
Here are six reasons why Kingsbury should be hired immediately if not sooner as he looks like a natural match for the Eagles offense. It’s literally a no-brainer.
He brings real head coaching experience to the room
Kingsbury is only 46 years old, but he carries with him over a decade of head coaching experience across college football and the NFL.
The Eagles are not looking for a first time play caller who needs to learn situational football on the fly. They need someone who can manage game flow, sequencing, defensive adjustments, and can collaborate with a head coach who values autonomy but demands accountability.
Kingsbury has been a college head coach and an NFL head coach. He has managed staffs, quarterbacks, and entire offensive ecosystems. That experience carries weight in a building that still believes it is in a championship window.
His offense is built for dual-threat quarterbacks
If the Eagles want to lean into quarterback multiplicity rather than restrict it, Kingsbury’s track record speaks for itself.
Most recently, Kingsbury was the architect behind Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ Rookie of the Year season in 2024. Under Kingsbury’s auspices, Daniels completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also ran for 891 yards and six scores, functioning as both a distributor and a constant run threat in his rookie season. Because Daniels only played in six games this past year due to an elbow injury, Kingsbury worked 11 games with back-up QB Marcus Mariota.
Before that, Kingsbury worked extensively with big names like Kyler Murray in Arizona and Caleb Williams when stil in college at Southern California. Long before that, he helped Johnny Manziel become the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy during his lone season as Texas A & M’s offensive coordinator. He was also integral in developing a relatively unknown gun-slinger for three years at Texas Tech named Patrick Mahomes.
The common thread is clear. Kingsbury does not force quarterbacks into a rigid system. He builds around what they do best and then expands their toolbox.
Kingsbury is the celebrity quarterback whisperer
At Texas Tech, Kingsbury recruited and coached Patrick Mahomes for three seasons. Over that span, Mahomes threw for 11,252 yards, 93 touchdowns, and just 29 interceptions. He also added 845 rushing yards and 22 scores on the ground.
Mahomes improved every year under Kingsbury, refining his mechanics without losing the creativity that now defines his game.
Mahomes has openly credited Kingsbury for helping him grow as a quarterback.
“I think he was early in the game of just saying, ‘Hey, let’s maximize your strengths,’” Mahomes said. “He would teach me here and there how to be more mechanical and get in the pocket and the fundamentals of the game, but he never restricted who I was.”
That philosophy should resonate in Philadelphia.
Kingsbury played the position
Kingsbury is not teaching the position from theory. He lived it. As a quarterback at Texas Tech, Kingsbury finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting during his senior season after throwing for more than 5,000 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He understands spacing, timing, leverage, and quarterback stress because he played in systems that demanded all of it. That gives him a feel for the most important position in all of sports, and an advantage over other coordinators who never played the position.
He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft and later spent time with five teams, appearing in one game with the New York Jets in 2005. His pro career never took off, but his understanding of the position only deepened.
That background shows up in how his quarterbacks are coached and empowered.
Kingsbury also coached Davis Webb at Texas Tech, who is now the Broncos quarterbacks coach and positioned to be their next offensive coordinator since the firing of Joe Lombardi recently.
He is the celebrity quarterback whisperer which is why the lingering question remains. There are only two head coaching vacancies left, Arizona and Las Vegas. He already had a stint in Arizona and the Vegas job? It’s possible that he might see it as an incredible challenge and an amazing opportunity to draft and develop Heisman winner and National Champion quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Otherwise with the Raiders current roster being incredibly under-talented, sans Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, and for now, Max Crosby, it might take some time for the Black and Silver to be competitive again.
He oversaw a top-5 rushing attack
I wrote a story yesterday about how Jalen Hurts only thrives when he has an elite foundational ground game. Kingbury, while a passing and scheming offensive savant, clearly values the virutes of a powerful rushing attack. In his two years as OC in Washington the Commanders boasted a ground game that ranked #4 in the league both years. Can you name their top rushing running back this past season? Neither could I. I had to look him up. Some cat named Jacory Croskey-Merritt. I know, right?
His work ethic speaks for itself
In Washington Kingsbury was known for his tireless work ethic, arriving at the team facility at 3 am every day, ready to keep grinding, tweaking and perfecting his “Air Raid” offense. His discipline and drive is something he learned as a valuable lesson from a regretful and short-lived NFL career as a quarterback. That kind of effort and desire is contagious.
If the Eagles want experience, quarterback development, schematic flexibility, and an offense that actually stresses defenses horizontally and vertically, it is hard to find a cleaner match than Kliff Kingsbury.
And yet, for reasons not yet clear, he is still out there.
Eagles Will Live to Regret Not Hiring Kliff Kingsbury as Disastrous OC Search Hits Day 16