Reports: USC's Kliff Kingsbury expected to become Raiders offensive coordinator
Kliff Kingsbury is expected to join the Las Vegas Raiders as the offensive coordinator there, according to multiple reports, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Kingsbury spent one year at USC as a Senior Offensive Analyst, joining the Trojans in April of 2023.
There was no expectation that Kingsbury would return for another season with the Trojans after the 2023 season. In fact, quarterback Miller Moss spoke ahead of the Trojans’ Holiday Bowl appearance and said “I wish he was hanging around longer,” all but confirming Kingsbury would be headed for another job this offseason.
Kingsbury previously interviewed with the Chicago Bears for the offensive coordinator position there. With the Bears holding the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, it was interesting to speculate on Chicago landing both Kingsbury and quarterback Caleb Williams from USC.
The Raiders sit all the way down at pick No. 13, out of range for Williams unless they put together a big trade. But Las Vegas does have quarterback questions of its own.
This is the second short stint Kingsbury has logged at USC. Though, this one was much longer than the first. Previously, Kingsbury was hired as the USC offensive coordinator in December of 2018 under then-head coach Clay Helton. One month later, he resigned from the position when then-athletic director Lynn Swann blocked interview requests from the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. Kingsbury ultimately took over as head coach of the Cardinals and the Trojans shifted to Graham Harrell as offensive coordinator.
Another interesting aspect of his development for USC fans is one of the candidates Kingsbury reportedly beat out to get the Raiders job. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly interviewed “at least twice” for the Raiders’ offensive coordinator position. And according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Kelly remains a candidate for the open offensive coordinator position with the Washington Commanders.
It would seemingly be a blow to UCLA if Kelly left for an NFL offensive coordinator spot at this point in the calendar. And that would be magnified by at least two coaches with UCLA connections — Jonathan Smith is a Pasadena native and Jedd Fisch previously served as interim head coach of the Bruins — moving jobs while the Bruins sat with Kelly following a disappointing 8-5 season.
