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Report: Washington Commanders to part ways with OC Kliff Kingsbury

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones01/06/26brianjones_93

The Washington Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have mutually agreed to part ways, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The move was made after Kingsbury met with Commanders head coach Dan Quinn on Tuesday, and Schefter said that Kingsbury will “pursue other opportunities.”

Schefter also reported that the Commanders have moved on from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. This means that Washington will have a new look on both sides of the ball for the 2026 season.

Kliff Kingsbury joined the Commanders in 2024 after spending one season as a senior offensive analyst at USC. In his first season at Washington, Kingsbury helped the Commanders finish the regular season with a 12-5 record and reach the NFC Championship game. He also worked with quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024.

This past season was more challenging for Kingsbury and Washington’s offense. Daniels only played in seven games due to injuries, and that led to the offense finishing in the bottom half of the league in total yards per game (318.8) and points per game (20.9).

Kliff Kingsbury is ‘unbelievable with the quarterbacks’

On Monday, Commanders QB Marcus Mariota shared his thoughts on Kingsbury. “I think so much of Kliff. He’s a very good coach,” Mariota said. “Unbelievable with the quarterbacks, but like an even better person. And when you’re able to play for somebody that you truly like, believe in, and trust, I think that’s why I ended up playing my best. So I’m biased. I think so highly of Kliff, and we’ll see what lays out for him.

“I would love to see him get another shot at it. But at the end of the day, what I was able to accomplish here was a lot of hard work from a lot of different guys. And we had a bunch of guys that were kind of in and out of the lineup.”

Kingsbury will likely interview for some NFL head coaching positions. He was the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2022 and led the team to the playoffs in 2021. Kingsbury was also the head coach at Texas Tech from 2013 to 2018 and worked with future three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes.