Commanders' Kingsbury wants to be a head coach again
Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury isn't hiding his desire to helm an NFL team again.
When asked Thursday if he'd like to be a head coach again, Kingsbury responded, "at some point," according to 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen.
Kingsbury declined to comment on whether he plans to interview for coaching vacancies this year. He's reportedly in the running for the Chicago Bears' head coaching job.
Kingsbury coached the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-22 and accumulated a 28-37-1 record with one playoff appearance. He was fired after a 4-13 campaign in 2022 and spent 2023 as an offensive analyst for USC before returning to the NFL with the Commanders this season.
The 45-year-old believes his experience makes him better prepared for a second go-round at managing an NFL roster.
"I didn't know what I didn't know. ... To come in there, I don't think I set the foundation the way I would do it after watching (Commanders head coach Dan Quinn) and how he set the foundation from Day 1," Kingsbury said. "It was: 'These are the standards, this is what we won't compromise, this is what we're going to be.'
"I definitely could have done a better job of that. Once you don't lay it out like that, it's hard to put it back in. It's hard to reset it."
Kingsbury's NFL return has gone remarkably well thus far. Washington's offense ranks in the top five in yardage (fourth) and scoring (fifth), and first-year quarterback Jayden Daniels is a top candidate to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year.
"We'll see how everything plays out, but I'm very happy here," Kingsbury added. "This has been awesome ... and has really helped me kind of rekindle my love for the sport."
In addition to the Bears, the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints also currently have full-time head coaching openings.