Commanders' Kliff Kingsbury Jokes Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Is What He Looks for in QB

The Washington Commanders hold the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and the team is roundly expected to address the quarterback position with the selection.

The team's new offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, was asked by reporters what he looks for in a quarterback and jokingly responded, "The Chiefs quarterback," referencing Kansas City Chiefs superstar and three-time champion Patrick Mahomes.

He did add that he wants his quarterbacks to be the hardest workers on the team.

"When the money is on the table you have to make plays with your feet, move around enough to escape and make a play," he added, noting that he doesn't need a quarterback with the scrambling prowess of a Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray but needs to be able to "buy time."

Kingsbury, who will run the offense under new head coach Dan Quinn, has some experience with Mahomes. The pair were together for three seasons at Texas Tech (2014-16) when Kingsbury was the head coach and Mahomes the starting quarterback.

During his college days, Mahomes threw for 11,252 yards, 93 touchdowns and 29 interceptions, completing 63.5 percent of his passes. He was Kansas City's first-round pick at the 2017 NFL draft (10th overall)—a mild surprise at the time given Alex Smith was the incumbent starter for the Chiefs and Kansas City traded up to make the selection—and the rest is history.

As for Kingsbury, he would go on to serve as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals between 2019-22, accumulating a 28-37-1 record with one playoff berth, before spending the 2023 season with USC as a senior offensive analyst.

In his coaching career, Kingsbury has now worked with players like Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum, Davis Webb, Murray, Caleb Williams and of course Mahomes. That's quite the cross-section of throwers and playmakers, giving Kingsbury a unique perspective on the position, alongside his own time as a college quarterback.

No decision has been bigger in recent memory for these Commanders than what they do with the No. 2 pick. Three quarterbacks appear to be possibilities if they stay at No. 2—Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye or LSU's Jayden Daniels. Or they could trade with the Chicago Bears up to No. 1.

It's a decision to will define the next several years—if not the next two decades—for the franchise.