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The NFL hiring cycle is underway, but former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has no interest in being apart of it. He would also appear to have zero interest in getting back into the college game for the time-being. Heck, he might just be done working in general.
Fox Sports media personality Peter Schrager is reporting that Kingsbury bought a one-way ticket to Thailand is not interested in coaching at the moment. Kingsbury is reportedly getting calls for vacant offensive coordinator jobs and he’s telling teams, “no thanks.”
As I just reported on FOX, multiple teams have contacted Kliff Kingsbury for their vacant OC job.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 14, 2023
He bought a one way ticket to Thailand and has told teams (respectfully) that he’s not interested at the moment. @NFLonFOX
Coaches often have a personality that requires competition and gives them a drive that has to be satisfied by the next opportunity. Kingsbury might end up deciding he needs to get back into the coaching game, but he’s clearly ready to unwind after a rough time with the Cardinals.
The team hired him in 2019 after he had accepted the OC job with the USC Trojans. He interviewed with the Cardinals and Jets before Arizona offered him their head coach job. The job came after a 35-40 record across six seasons at Texas Tech. He had two years with the Red Raiders where he finished over .500, so the pro hiring caught people a bit off guard.
In four seasons with the Cardinals, he finished 28-37-1. After an 8-8 season in 2020, his team went 11-6 and claimed a wild card berth in 2021. The team was thumped by the Rams in the Wild Card Round. This past year, his team went 4-13 and he dealt with turmoil in his relationship with starting QB Kyler Murray. It was a rough year and things went south in a hurry.
It’s surprising a head coach would disappear like this, but it’s not surprising if we remove how we normally view head coaches. Kingsbury has generational wealth after signing a six-year contract extension in March 2022 that was rumored to be worth north of $5 million per year through 2027. The money is guaranteed, and would likely be offset if he took another coaching job.
Instead, he can travel and vacation on the Cardinals dime for as long as he wants. He’ll probably resurface later this year, but if you can just relax and take some time away, why not do it?