Kliff Kingsbury is now in striking distance to coach Caleb Williams again.
Regardless, he’s back in the NFL.
The Commanders are hiring Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator, according to ESPN, under new head coach Dan Quinn.
It came after a stunning twist.
Kingsbury, 44, had been expected to take the same position on the Raiders under new head coach Antonio Pierce, with an agreement on a contract all but a “formality,” according to The Athletic.
Instead, Kingsbury reportedly took his name out of the running for the Raiders job on Saturday, and one day later seems to have his next home.
Kingsbury, who was previously the head coach of the Cardinals from 2019-22, spent last season as a senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach at USC, where he worked closely with Williams.
Williams is expected to go No. 1 in the 2024 draft, and the Commanders possess the No. 2 pick with ammo to trade up with the Bears.
Kingsbury led the Cardinals for four seasons, compiling a 28-37-1 overall record before getting fired after the 2022-23 season.
He was the head coach of Texas Tech for six seasons between 2013-18 before that, leading the team to a 35-40 record.
The Commanders were the last team to fill their head coaching vacancy and hired Quinn, who was serving as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator and was the head coach of the Falcons from 2015-2020, on Thursday after a different offseason twist.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was considered the front-runner for Washington’s head-coaching job, but he abruptly pulled his name out of the running and decided to remain with Detroit.
Quinn replaces Ron Rivera after the Commanders finished 4-13 this season.
Quinn led the Falcons to Super Bowl LI, but they fell to the Patriots 34-28 after infamously blowing a 28-3 lead.
Now, he gets his first shot to again lead a team.
With a defensive background, Quinn’s choice for offensive coordinator held high importance.
And he’s rolling with Kingsbury.
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