Even before the Las Vegas Raiders made it official by removing the interim tag and making Antonio Pierce the permanent head coach, there were rumors about potential members of his staff. One of the first names mentioned was former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Kingsbury’s time with the Cardinals didn’t go the way he would have liked as he went 28-37-1 in four years at the helm, but he is still known as one of the brightest offensive minds in football. And now the Raiders could look to bring him back to the NFL.
The Raiders have reportedly scheduled an interview with Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator position under Antonio Pierce via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk:
Another team is looking at former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury to potentially become its next offensive coordinator.
Per Albert Breer of SI.com, the Raiders are scheduling an interview with Kingsbury for later this week in Las Vegas.
Kingsbury spent the 2023 season as a senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach for USC after four years as head coach of the Cardinals.
Kingsbury made his mark as head coach of Texas Tech, where he was at the helm of one of the most explosive offenses college football has ever seen. Perhaps he wasn’t quite ready to be a head coach at the NFL level, but an offensive coordinator job could be exactly what he needs to show off what he learned over the years.
The Raiders’ offense was disappointing in 2023, ranking 23rd in points and 27th in yards despite some outstanding skill position talent.
Davante Adams remains one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and Josh Jacobs is still one of the top running backs despite a down season last year. The Raiders also have a solid second receiver in Jakobi Meyers and a promising tight end in Michael Mayer, they simply need the right system to get the best out of all this talent and perhaps Kingsbury is the man to do that.
The Raiders have some competition, however, as Kingsbury has also interviewed for the offensive coordinator position with the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, so they may need to move quickly if they feel Kingsbury is the right person for the job.
Raiders also interviewing Steelers QB coach Mike Sullivan for offensive coordinator position
The Raiders are doing their due diligence in bringing in candidates for that offensive coordinator spot. Pittsburgh Steelers QB coach Mike Sullivan is another person the franchise is interviewing for the position.
Sullivan took over playcalling duties for the Steelers after they fired Matt Canada and their offense immediately improved with him at the helm. Perhaps getting the full-time role will allow Sullivan to fully show what he is capable of.
