If Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s history is any indication of what might happen to him in 2025, then be ready for Kingsbury to become an NFL head coach again sooner than later.
The team Kingsbury seems most tied to is the Chicago Bears, where Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay thinks a reunion between Kingsbury and quarterback Caleb Williams is in the stars as the Bears search for their next head coach.
“Ever since the Chicago Bears ended the Matt Eberflus era, it’s felt rather inevitable that Kliff Kingsbury will become their next head coach,” Kay wrote on January 6. ” … Chicago needs an offensive-minded head coach to jump-start a unit that oozes potential but has felt rudderless with coordinators Shane Waldron and Luke Getsy at the helm. There’s no better choice than Kingsbury, who has a long history of getting the most out of his quarterbacks and is also already familiar with Williams.”
Kingsbury already has 1 season with Williams under his belt at USC in 2023, where he was a senior offensive analyst.
Kingsbury’s name has been tied to several head coach openings thanks to his success mentoring Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in 2024 as he’s become not just the NFL’s best rookie quarterback but one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, period.
Daniels was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft — 1 spot behind Williams.
Kingsbury Likely Option No. 2 for Bears
If Kingsbury ends up as the head coach of the Bears, it will likely have to be because another coach turned the job down — specifically Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
That being said, Kingsbury’s experience coaching Williams and his experience as a head coach makes him a very attractive backup plan.
Kingsbury starred at quarterback at Texas Tech and played 5 seasons in the NFL and CFL, winning a Super Bowl as a backup with the New England Patriots in 2003.
After successful stops as an offensive coordinator at the University of Houston and Texas A&M, Kingsbury was named head coach at Texas Tech in 2013.
Kingsbury was fired after 6 seasons in which he went 35-40 overall despite having either 2018 NFL draft No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield or 2-time NFL Most Valuable Player and 3-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes as his starting quarterback for 4 of those seasons.
Kingsbury didn’t stay unemployed for long. The Arizona Cardinals named him their head coach almost immediately after he was fired and he coached the Cardinals from 2019 to 2022, going 28-37-1 with a 4-13 record in his final season. He spent 2023 as an offensive analyst at USC before landing with the Commanders as part of the new regime under head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters.
Genius Turn Guiding Commanders’ Offense
However we look at Kingsbury’s head coaching work to this point, his success as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2024 with Daniels is impossible to ignore.
Under Kingsbury, Daniels threw for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while setting an NFL rookie rushing record with 891 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per carry.
Most importantly, with Kingsbury and Daniels the Commanders went 12-5 — their best record since winning the Super Bowl in 1991 — and made the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The Commanders travel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round on January 12.
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‘Inevitable’ Move Looming for Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury