Cardinals' Kliff Kingsbury Says He's Open to Giving Up Play-Calling Duties

The Arizona Cardinals have struggled on offense so far this season, and much of the blame has fallen on the shoulders of head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Now, it sounds like he's open to a change.

Per Cardinals team writer Darren Urban, Kingsbury said Monday that he would be willing to consider giving up play-calling duties if it would help the team improve.

"I am open to anything that helps us score more points and helps us win," Kingsbury said. "We will see where it all goes, but yeah, whatever it takes to win, I'm all for it."

Kingsbury noted that it might be difficult to make a change during a short week, as the Cardinals will face the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football. The more likely scenario is that a switch is made when the team has extra time to prepare for its Week 8 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

"Whatever it takes to win, whatever it takes to score points," Kingsbury said during a radio show appearance. "Anything goes in this league. We will examine all avenues."

Kingsbury's comments are a change in tune from his previous stance. He said in 2020 that he would walk away from the game if he wasn't calling the plays.

"I would retire," Kingsbury said at the time. "It's part of the game. I couldn't just sit there and watch it. A lot of people are great at that, managing games, and that's not my strong suit. My strong suit is calling it and interacting with the quarterback. I've got to play to my strengths."

Those strengths have not resulted in success this season. The Cardinals are in last place in the NFC West after falling to 2-4 with a 19-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Arizona has scored under 20 points in three of its last four games.

If the Cardinals hope to turn their season around, it's clear that a change is needed sooner rather than later.