Kliff Kingsbury's been an outstanding addition to the Washington Commanders coaching staff. The offensive coordinator nurtured rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels phenomenally well and restored his reputation after being fired by the Arizona Cardinals. This has inevitably come with speculation about his future beyond 2024.
Kingsbury is being touted in the media as a potential head coaching candidate during the 2025 hiring cycle. He'll be focused on finishing strongly and helping the Commanders make some noise in the postseason. But if No. 1 pick Caleb Williams has his way, the Chicago Bears will give serious thought to making him their next head coach.
Caleb Williams makes strong pitch to take Kliff Kingsbury from Commanders
The Bears let Matt Eberflus go after a disastrous run of results that began with Washington's miracle Hail Mary triumph. Several candidates will be interviewed before official confirmation arrives. Williams' glowing reference regarding Kingsbury's credentials won't go unnoticed by those in the building.
"I know what type of guy he is. I know he loves football. I know he wants to win. He's a competitor. And so in many different aspects that I was just speaking of, I've been around him. So I would say that being around him, knowing him, asking him questions and things like that, I think obviously if he was here I'd probably have more to say. But I think he fits a bunch of those qualities that I said. A coach that challenges myself, whether it's an offensive coordinator or head coach, and also challenges us as players — whether it's on the field or character, doesn't matter. Just a coach that challenges us. A man of his word. A discipline coach, meaning whatever his rules are or whatever he's gonna bring rule-wise, how he's going to control the team and manage and control the team, things like that."Caleb Williams
Williams and Kingsbury have a previous connection. They worked together at USC last season and formed a close relationship. His strong track record with developing young quarterbacks and the esteem in which he is held by the rookie signal-caller indicates an approach could be made in the not-too-distant future.
Whether Kingsbury would entertain any head coaching advances is the big question.
He's thriving in Washington without having to worry about anything other than the offensive side of things. This is a team on the up with a legitimate franchise presence under center. Being a coordinator is something Kingsbury might be better suited for when push comes to shove.
Kingsbury is still getting paid handsomely by the Cardinals, so he's got it pretty good all things considered. That said, there are only 32 head coaching jobs to go around. And the play-caller might want to prove people wrong after how things ended in Arizona.
The Commanders must prepare for every eventuality. They need a shortlist of offensive coordinator candidates if Kingsbury gets a top job somewhere. That might not happen, but having contingency plans in place should ensure no momentum is lost.
Williams' lobbying campaign to lure Kingsbury from the Commanders has begun. He's the big hope in Chicago and has flashed enough promise this season to suggest a profitable career could be in the offing. Having a coach he knows and trusts leading the charge could help turn around this struggling organization.
Washington will fight hard to keep Kingsbury around. But this all comes down to the coach's happiness and ambitions.