The Arizona Cardinals have fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury 10 months after signing him to a contract extension through the 2027 season.
Arizona Cardinals fire head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
The Arizona Cardinals have fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury after four seasons, and general manager Steve Keim announced his decision to resign from the team.
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 9, 2023
Four years after arriving alongside No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray, Kingsbury is out to cap the worst season of his mercurial tenure in Arizona.
Despite improving the team on paper in his second and third seasons at the helm of the team, the former Texas Tech coach managed just a single playoff appearance while overseeing four straight late-year slumps.
An aging, injury-riddled roster didn’t necessarily help, nor did a banged-up and erratic Murray, but Kingsbury’s offense too often lacked rhythm to remain relevant.
This year’s 4-13 campaign sealed the deal, and now Arizona will likely look to hire another offensive mind capable of rejuvenating Murray after the QB inked a lucrative extension last offseason.
The 50-year-old had been with the organization since 1999, getting hired as a regional college scout. He worked his way up to general manager in 2013.
Keim’s promotion came shortly before the hiring of Bruce Arians, which ushered in a brief run of success. Arians guided the Cardinals to two playoff trips and the NFC title game in 2015.
But the need for a shakeup in both the front office and coaching staff became inescapable.
As it relates to Kingsbury, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted this feels more like a mutual parting of ways because the relationship “wasn’t working for either side.”
Rapoport also said Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph should get a “long look” to replace Kingsbury as he’s “very respected in the building.”
Arizona took a major leap of faith with Kingsbury when it hired him in 2019. He had never coached at the NFL level before and had had a losing record (35-40) in his six years in charge at his alma mater, Texas Tech.
There was at least a method to the madness. Targeting a young, offensive-minded head coach made sense for a franchise that was about to make Murray its quarterback of the future.
Kingsbury, a disciple of spread offense specialist Mike Leach, could theoretically utilize the 2019 No. 1 pick’s special skill set to great effect.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Kingsbury’s tenure followed a similar arc to his time at Texas Tech; they continually faded down the stretch of a season.