Kliff Kingsbury, Commanders Reportedly Part Ways, What Are His Top Landing Spots?

The Washington Commanders are making some big changes after their disappointing 5-12 finish to the 2025 season.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have "agreed mutually to part ways," and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. is also out.

Pelissero noted that Kingsbury "has head coaching interest and otherwise will have multiple OC options," so some of his top landing spots could include teams with head coach openings like the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Kingsbury is expected to interview with the Giants and Tennessee Titans.

It was just a year ago that Kingsbury presided over one of the top offenses in the NFL, as the Commanders made a surprise run to the NFC Championship Game behind an incredible debut season from quarterback Jayden Daniels, who went on to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year. However, Daniels was limited to just seven games this season due to various injuries, and Washington failed to recreate the magic from the 2024 campaign.

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The Titans, Giants and Browns all deployed rookie quarterbacks this season in Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, respectively. Kingsbury has proven to be able to bring the best out of young signal-callers, so he could look for the chance to help one of them make a strong leap in 2026.

Ward, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, would certainly benefit from having an innovative offensive mind like Kingsbury following his frustrating rookie season in which he called out his own team multiple times.

If Kingsbury wants to start from scratch with another rookie quarterback, the Raiders own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft and are projected to select Indiana signal-caller and 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Heading to Las Vegas would also give him the extra support of having part-owner Tom Brady to mentor a young quarterback.

Kingsbury was 28-37-1 in four years as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, so perhaps it would be best for him to stick with his offensive coordinator role on one of those teams searching for a new head coach. Still, it's clear that he will have multiple options in front of him, so there's a chance he could convince a franchise that he's ready to return to a leadership position on the sidelines.