Kliff Kingsbury has decided not to join Antonio Pierce’s staff as the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders, according to his agent, Erik Burkhardt, who informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter about the withdrawal.
Contract negotiations between Kingsbury and the Raiders reportedly fell apart within the last 24 hours. Peter Schrager of Fox Sports revealed that Kingsbury communicated to individuals within the Raiders organization yesterday, confirming his decision not to join the coaching staff.
According to information from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, while Kingsbury won’t be taking on the Raiders’ offensive coordinator role, he remains a potential candidate for other coaching positions. Garafolo mentioned that Kingsbury is actively considered for other opportunities, including the offensive coordinator vacancy with the Washington Commanders.
Re Kingsbury and Raiders, contract negotiations came undone in the last 24 hours and Kingsbury withdrew his name from consideration. He let multiple members of the Raiders organization he would not be joining the team yesterday.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) February 3, 2024
Earlier reports from Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston had identified Kingsbury as the leading candidate for the offensive coordinator position with the Raiders. ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez added that Kingsbury was one of four candidates who interviewed for the job over the past two weeks, alongside Luke Getsy, Alex Van Pelt, and Mike Sullivan.
Although contract talks with the Raiders have ended, Kingsbury is still open to exploring opportunities in the NFL. In the wake of the development, Dan Pitcher, the quarterbacks coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, is scheduled for an interview with the Raiders, while Van Pelt has already been appointed as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.
As of now, Kingsbury’s coaching future remains uncertain, but his withdrawal from consideration for the Raiders’ offensive coordinator position does not preclude his return to the NFL.
Kingsbury spent the 2023 season as a senior offensive assistant at USC under Lincoln Riley’s coaching staff. Before that, he served as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for four seasons from 2019 to 2022, accumulating a record of 28-37-1 with one playoff appearance.
Notably, the Cardinals are the only NFL team Kingsbury has coached, and his coaching experience spans 12 seasons at the college level, including a six-year stint as the head coach at Texas Tech from 2013 to 2018.
