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The Philadelphia Eagles are considering hiring former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury for the newly vacated offensive coordinator role. Philly is moving on from previous coordinators Brian Johnson and Sean Desai after the team’s epic collapse during the 2023 season. Kingsbury is one of the coaches the Eagles have interviewed as a potential candidate to be the team’s new offensive coordinator.
“The Eagles interviewed USC senior offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator job today, sources say,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo detailed in a January 24, 2024 message on X. “Kingsbury recently interviewed with the Bears, who hired Shane Waldron as OC. Philly moved on from OC Brian Johnson after one season.”
Kingsbury previously signed a $30 million contract extension with the Cardinals, per USA Today. The deal was slated to run through 2027 before being fired following the 2022 season. The coach spent last season as an offensive analyst under Lincoln Riley at USC.
Potential Philadelphia Eagles Assistant Kliff Kingsbury Could Be a Better Fit as a Coordinator
Kingsbury’s tenure as Cardinals head coach did not go as planned going 28-37-1 before being fired following the 2022 season. Yet, the former NFL quarterback is known for being an innovative offensive mind dating back to his days as Texas Tech head coach.
With the Eagles retaining head coach Nick Sirianni, Kingsbury possesses a lot of upside as a coordinator. Kingsbury’s offense garnered praise from the likes of legendary receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
“I love the fact that you come in here on a Wednesday morning, you got to have your nose in the book because there’s going to be some things that are thrown at you that you haven’t seen before,” Fitzgerald told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss for an October 21, 2020 feature titled, “Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury’s beautiful mind.”
Eagles Rumors: Jalen Hurts Was Frustrated With Philadelphia’s Offensive Philosophy
The news comes as there appears to be a growing frustration with star quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense. This likely did not help Johnson’s chances of retaining his job.
Under Johnson, Philadelphia offense was a top-10 unit averaging 24.6 points per contest which ranked No. 7 in 2023. These numbers were down significantly the final three regular-season games posting 16.7 points per matchup which ranked No. 26.
“On top of those struggles, Jalen Hurts’ desired direction for the offense has not materialized, which has been a source of disappointment for the franchise quarterback, according to a source with direct knowledge of Hurts’ thinking,” ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote in a January 15 story titled “Why has Nick Sirianni struggled to rally the Eagles?” “A disconnect between the visions of Sirianni, Hurts and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has affected the offense’s ability to land on an identity, the source said.
“Philly’s offense posted above-average numbers relative to the rest of the league during the season but didn’t match the lofty standards set in 2022. The Eagles (11-6) slipped from third in points per game (28.1) to seventh (25.5), went from ninth in passing (241.5 yards per game) to 16th (225.5), and fell from fifth in rushing (147.6) to eighth (128.8). The feeling that they were underperforming weighed on players even after wins.”
Kliff Kingsbury is an Air Raid Disciple From the Late Mike Leach’s Coaching Tree
Kingsbsury has experience working with a mobile quarterback like Hurts, but his tenure with Kyler Murray admittedly had mixed results. The coach comes from the late Mike Leach’s coaching tree which specialized in the Air Raid. Kingsbury had much more success with Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech.
“It started with the Air Raid, Mike Leach,” Kingsbury explained ESPN in 2020. “A lot of those base concepts really made sense to me, and I like the way we operated in that system. And then I bounced around, NFL, NFL Europe, CFL, wherever, just any concept that I saw that, ‘Hey, this makes sense to me, this is quarterback-friendly, it’s a great read,’ I would carry that and install it at a different place.”
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