With Kliff Kingsbury materializing into a head coaching candidate, could the Washington Commanders be tasked with replacing both coordinators in 2026?
With the offseason looming and the Washington Commanders set to start answering a long list of questions ahead of general manager Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn could find himself having to replace at least one coordinator in 2026 with speculation around Kliff Kingsbury only intensifying.
Kingsbury has become a mainstay among the group of coordinators who are in the mix for head coaching jobs in 2026, while he is reportedly on the shortlist of candidates for the vacant New York Giants’ head coaching job alongside Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman among others.
Meanwhile, The Ringer included Kingsbury near the top of their head coaching candidates for the 2026 season, ranked third overall behind 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Salah and former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
“Patrick Mahomes, Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams. Kingsbury has played a role in the development of all those quarterbacks,” The Ringer wrote. “And in a league that’s obsessed with finding and shepherding franchise passers, that should be a compelling selling point for NFL owners. Kingsbury’s work as a play caller and offensive designer, though, may be less exciting. His results at the NFL level have been solid: Since 2019, the year Kingsbury entered the league, his combined Arizona and Washington offenses would rank ninth in the NFL in points per drive and are tied for 12th in yards per play. Kingsbury is an Air Raid coach, but it’s his run scheme—built on college-style option plays—that has done most of the heavy lifting. His rather simplistic passing scheme—which is built on quick hitters rather than explosive plays—has been inconsistent and downright disappointing at times. Kingsbury’s time as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator has mostly been a success. He eased Daniels’s transition into the league in 2024 with a deftly curated offense, and while the second-year quarterback has struggled to maintain the level of play of his rookie campaign (mostly due to injuries), Kingsbury has turned Marcus Mariota into one of the NFL’s most productive backups, proving, once again, that his work with quarterbacks cannot and should not be ignored.”
A potential Kingsbury departure would mark a key loss for a Washington offense already left with replacing Tavita Pritchard, who left to become the next head coach at Stanford, his alma mater. It also might mark one of potential staff changes after defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. was demoted following the 44-22 loss vs. Detroit, leading Quinn to take over as play-caller as Washington ranked near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every defensive category at the time.
But for an offense looking to bounce back after an injury-filled year two under quarterback Jayden Daniels, coupled with question marks beyond Terry McLaurin in the wide receiver and tight end room, a potential Kingsbury departure would serve as a potential revamp under Quinn ahead of a pivotal year three.
Kingsbury is in his second season with the franchise after previously serving as the head coach at Texas Tech then the Arizona Cardinals with a stint as a senior offensive analyst at USC in 2023.
Washington is set to face Philadelphia on Saturday, Dec. 20 for a 5 PM kickoff in the first of two matchups against the Eagles over the final three weeks of the 2025 regular season.