Reports: Ex-Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury set to join Raiders as offensive coordinator
Kliff Kingsbury is getting another chance in the NFL.
According to multiple reports, the former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals is set to be named the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders under new coach Antonio Pierce.
Kingsbury, 44, was one of four known candidates to interview for the Raiders’ coordinator job during the past two weeks along Alex Van Pelt, Mike Sullivan and Luke Getsy. Kingsbury also had interviews with the Bears and Eagles about their then-vacant OC jobs.
He replaces interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree, who took over play-calling duties on Oct. 31 when Josh McDaniels was fired as the Raiders’ head coach.
Kingsbury spent last season on Lincoln Riley’s staff at USC, serving as the Trojans’ senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach, where he worked closely with Caleb Williams, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft.
Finding a quarterback for Kliff Kingsbury's system
The Raiders are in search of a potential new starting quarterback themselves as they are expected to move on from veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and find an upgrade over rookie Aidan O’Connell. If they want one of the top three quarterbacks in this year’s draft, they’ll have to trade up from where they are presently picking in the first round, at No. 13.
They could also find a quarterback via a trade or free agency.
But at least now they have their offensive coordinator in Kingsbury, an innovative play caller best known for his Air Raid-type offenses that rely heavily on the run game to set up play-action and create deep-shot opportunities down the field.
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It worked at times in each of his stints as a head coach, first at Texas Tech, his alma mater, and then with the Cardinals. His teams, however, routinely suffered second-half fades that it would end up costing him his job in both places.
He was 35-40 at Texas Tech from 2013-18 with just two winning seasons – 8-5 in 2013 and 7-6 in 2015. In four seasons with the Cardinals from 2019-2022, Kingsbury went 28-37-1 with only one winning season – an 11-6 finish in 2021 that ended with a 34-11 loss to the Rams in an NFC Wild Card game.
He’s coached notable quarterbacks from Johnny Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy when the two were together at Texas A&M), Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech), Baker Mayfield (Texas Tech), who would win the Heisman in 2017 at Oklahoma, and Kyler Murray (Cardinals) in addition to working with USC’s Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner. Murray won the Heisman in 2018 at Oklahoma while playing for USC’s Riley.
Fixing a broken Raiders offense
With the right quarterback in place, Kingsbury should be able to get the Raiders’ offense back in gear. This past season, Las Vegas finished with the 27th-ranked offense overall (289.5 yards per game) and the 30th-ranked rushing offense (90.7).
Still, Kingsbury has some offensive stalwarts with which to work in All-Pros Davante Adams at wide receiver and Josh Jacobs at running back in addition to Hunter Renfrow, Michael Mayer and Jakobi Meyers.
In discussing what he was looking for in his next offensive coordinator, Pierce told reporters he wanted a “teacher” who could “adjust on the fly.”
“You’ve got to be able to run the football, play-action pass,” he said. “What are the Raiders known for? The vertical passing game, right? We want to see the shots down the field. We want explosive plays. That has to be part of the creativity. You look at the shifts, the motions, all that stuff that goes into it.
“… Just think of when the Raiders were playing really good football, and that’s going to be the offensive coordinator, hopefully, as we go forward.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ex-Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury set to join Raiders as OC
