Kliff Kingsbury is NFL's most interesting free agent coach: Here's what's next

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Kliff Kingsbury has been many things as a coordinator and coach -- Case Keenum's college offensive coordinator, Johnny Manziel's college offensive coordinator, Patrick Mahomes' college coach, Kyler Murray's NFL coach and Jayden Daniels' NFL offensive coordinator -- but he's also always been one thing: himself.

The up-tempo, shotgun-centric "Air Raid" (with adjustments) offense has been his thing. Good, bad, in the middle, regardless of location or role. He's always been a tireless worker: Back in 2022, "Hard Knocks" captured him waking up just after 3 a.m. and arriving at the Arizona Cardinals' practice facility before 4 a.m., citing his playing career not reaching the heights he wanted as a motivating factor. With the Washington Commanders, he and Daniels were consistently among the first people at the facility.

"I'm pretty consistent with the coaching style," Kingsbury said early in 2025 training camp, when he was coming off the Commanders' breakthrough.

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And near the end of the year, Washington's disappointing 5-12 season that proved his ouster?

"Yeah, I've seen [the no-huddle offense] done at a high level you know, whether it's Arizona or here at a very high level and won games and had a lot of yards, a lot of success in that regard. So, I think I'm pretty confident, you know, in that style of play when the pieces are there that you can play a really high level, and it's a very challenging offensive stop."

Kingsbury, 46, didn't have the pieces this year; that much is certain. Daniels played in just seven games, and he left three of those seven early. All parties involved wished Terry McLaurin's extension had been done earlier so he could have had more time to grow with Daniels in training camp and get into football shape: McLaurin suffered a quad injury in Week 3 and played in a career-low 10 games. The team's other top outside wide receiver, Noah Brown, appeared in just four games. The offensive line wasn't whole until mid-October.

And yet the Commanders still finished 12th in offensive success rate and won games with not only Daniels but Marcus Mariota and Josh Johnson. Players spoke glowingly of Kingsbury, with Daniels saying "I love working with Kliff," and "Me and him have a special relationship. Mariota praised Kingsbury's system for making things easy on the quarterback. McLaurin talked about the way he, his role and his alignments grew under Kingsbury and also complimented Kingsbury for being "open to communication."

But coach Dan Quinn wanted a more traditional run-heavy, clock management-driven, approach, ESPN's John Keim reported, even though that goes against what Kingsbury has always been. The Commanders had the fifth-highest rushing rate in the NFL over Kingsbury's two seasons as offensive coordinator, but they also had the most quarterback rushes in the NFL (24th-most running back runs). Kingsbury's system was tremendous for Daniels in Year 1. It was less successful in Year 2 for several reasons, some out of Kingsbury's control.

"There's a ton of different decisions I wish we would've made and I would've made, and more just like individual play calls than anything, you know, our style of play was a bit different," Kingsbury said. "Like I said, trying to slow the games down, limit possessions, do things of that nature. But yeah, there are a ton of things I wish I would've done better as far as scheme and maximizing players and things of that nature."

Kingsbury couldn't control injuries. He couldn't control the defense being one of the NFL's worst.

"We had a bunch of guys that were kind of in and out of the lineup, and it's a credit to this staff of getting these guys prepared," Mariota said.

It's not a "wrong" call from Quinn, per se, but it's certainly a big one. Sometimes circumstances change. Sometimes strategies change. The Commanders will have big changes ahead, and Quinn had better be right.

Kingsbury, meanwhile, will likely be in the running for both head coach and offensive coordinator gigs. Call his offense what you will, but it is not "gimmicky" in any sense of the word. Kingsbury showed flexibility and creativity as a play caller and play designer. The Commanders had a well-versed, multi-faceted rushing attack and a screen game that worked wonders at its peak. Kingsbury helped produce not only a career year McLaurin but a renaissance from Zach Ertz in his mid-30s and a bounce-back from Deebo Samuel in his late-20s. He often made do with castoffs and youngsters, elevating the games of players such as Noah Brown, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus.

Here's where Kingsbury could end up next.

1. New York Giants offensive coordinator

Kingsbury has previously expressed a desire to return to head coaching, and he decided to remain in Washington last year, when he could have been one of the top candidates for an opening. How much a tough 2025 hurt his coaching candidacy remains to be determined, but his best fit could be to remain an offensive coordinator.

He'll want a mobile quarterback, versatile running game and some weapons to maximize that attack, and the Giants stand out as the team that fits the bill best. Jaxson Dart showed impressive rushing ability, and the Giants have a tandem of capable backs in bruiser Cam Skattebo as well as the speedier Tyrone Tracy Jr., who has quietly reached 1,000+ yards from scrimmage in each of his two seasons. Malik Nabers looked like a star in the making before an early-season knee injury, and Wan'Dale Robinson could be a versatile, movable chess piece as well. Tracy and Robinson in particular could help fuel Kingsbury's versatility as a play caller and designer.

2. Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator

Cam Ward quietly finished his rookie season strongly, throwing for eight touchdowns and just one interception over his last four full games (he left the season finale with a shoulder injury but won't need surgery). He's doesn't run like Murray, Daniels or Dart, but he's not a statue, either. He showed impressive escapability down the stretch of his debut season, and his sack numbers declined in kind.

Ward has said he wants to be involved in the coach-hiring process, and if the candidate at hand isn't Kingsbury, he would do well to pitch Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator. The Titans have a long way to go int he rebuild process, but Kingsbury has developed young quarterbacks everywhere he's been. Tennessee has some gifted if inconsistent wide receivers, too, in Himere Dike and Elic Ayomanor.

3. Giants coach

The Giants would do well to strongly consider Kingsbury for the main gig, not just a coordinator one. Kingsbury has undoubtedly learned from his time as the Cardinals' coach, which included him building a team from 3-13 the year before he arrived to 5-10, then 8-8, then 11-6. People often recall his final season -- 4-13 -- and his struggles down the second half of seasons most, but they forget how good of a job he did, with two-10th overall total offenses. He did it all with Kyler Murray a quarterback who not only had limitations but played his best ball under Kingsbury and now appears on his way out of Arizona.

Hiring Kingsbury would be a big bet. He would have to get the call at defensive coordinator right. The Giants really struggled on that side in 2025 but have foundational pieces along the line. It's a big market that comes with a ton of scrutiny. If Kingsbury is up for it, though, he and Dart could form a strong partnership.

4. Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator

Could Kingsbury's home be just a short drive north? The Ravens sent shockwaves through the NFL by firing John Harbaugh on Tuesday, ending an 18-year partnership with one of the NFL's most stable franchises.

Kingsbury and Lamar Jackson could be a fit for all the reasons listed about other quarterbacks: mobility, operation out of the shotgun, etc. The Ravens do have Derrick Henry, so Kingsbury might have to adjust to be more running back-centric, but he has been willing to adjust before. Zay Flowers seems like a strong fit for Kingsbury's quick-hitting passing schemes, too.

It's not a perfect fit. Jackson isn't a young quarterback like basically all the others Kingsbury has worked with. Running up-tempo seems at first glance incongruous for a team that might be better suited to grind some games out in the grimy, tough AFC North. But the Ravens need change badly. They didn't fire Harbaugh to keep the status quo. Kingsbury would have to interview well and show a clear plan for melding his style to Baltimore's personnel. Just don't count it out completely.

5. Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator

The Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris, and while that doesn't preclude offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from coming back, there's a reasonable chance whomever succeeds Morris will want to handpick his offensive coordinator. If that coach is a first-timer, having the experience of Kingsbury would be helpful; if it isn't a first-timer, Kingsbury could still fit the bill.

Atlanta has a strong offensive line, a superstar versatile running back in Bijan Robinson and a star wide receiver in Drake London. Quarterback is a big question, but Michael Penix Jr. has operated out of the shotgun his entire career, so there's at least some synergy there. Penix isn't a dual-threat guy, but Kingsbury has shown abilities to adapt. And if Penix turns out not to be the answer, Kingsbury could again be a mentor for another young quarterback.

NOTE: We didn't consider sending Kingsbury back to the Cardinals, nor did we consider him for any Las Vegas Raiders openings. Kingsbury withdrew from the Raiders' offensive coordinator search at the last minute two years ago.