After interviewing this weekend, could former Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury land in the NFC East?
The Washington Commanders already filled both coordinator vacancies after making the Daronte Jones hire official on Friday, joining David Blough under head coach Dan Quinn.
The next phase of the offseason will now center around finalizing the staff underneath them with only a handful of spots filled along the offensive side of the ball, though with passing game coordinator Brian Johnson interviewing elsewhere, the Commanders could look at another logical target like Darrell Bevell on the staff. But an underlying storyline through the coaching carousel, moreso around the NFL than in DC, has been where Kliff Kingsbury will land in 2026.
After becoming a head coaching candidate and interviewing for a handful of jobs this offseason, news about a possible landing spot for Kingsbury began to fizzle while vacancies - both head coach and coordinator - began to gradually get filled. While Baltimore was viewed as a team to watch early in the process, new head coach Jesse Minter went elsewhere with the offensive coordinator role. But Kingsbury's latest possible landing spot could land him back in the NFC East.
Reports on Sunday pointed to the New York Giants as the latest team interested in Kingsbury after the two sides completed a virtual interview on Saturday.
The idea of Kingsbury paired with an offense with multiple weapons in quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Malik Nabers, running back Cam Skattebo and tight end Theo Johnson adds intrigue with a chance to build around an young core. Former Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan is viewed as the other primary target for the Giants' offensive coordinator vacancy as new head coach John Harbaugh looks to finalize his staff in New York.
Kingsbury is coming off an abysmal season as offensive coordinator in Washington with the Commanders finishing 22nd in the league in both points and total yards, while the passing game ranked 24th. Injuries played a big hand in the Commanders' success with Jayden Daniels limited to seven games in his second season, though the news materialized shortly before the regular season finale that there was a disconnect inside the building.
"Some in the building say there's been a disconnect between Kingsbury and general manager Adam Peters," Russini wrote.
Head coach Dan Quinn was non-committal about Kingsbury's status when asked during his end of season press conference.
“We're going through all of all the coaches . Kliff offensively, defensively, on the team's side. And so, that's really what we're digging into to find what's best, how do we do it, where do we find spaces to improve?"
After six seasons at Texas Tech where he finished 35-40 overall, Kingsbury served as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for four seasons where he finished 28-37-1 in his first NFL stint.
As for the Commanders other coordinator, news of realistic landing spots have yet to emerge for former defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. with a report that the Pittsburgh Steelers could be a fit in some capacity. Pittsburgh has already hired former Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for the same role while Commanders pass game coordinator Jason Simmons is expected to take a "prominent" role on the Steelers' defensive staff.