USC Football: Adam Schefter Reveals What Led to Kliff Kingsbury Pulling Out of Raiders Job

Kingsbury and the Raiders weren't on the same page.

Kliff Kingsbury was named the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday until he wasn't. 

A day later, Kingsbury withdrew from the position and instead was named the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders the next day. It was a wild turn of events that made many scratch their heads, except for ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Schefter appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday and detailed what happened between the Raiders and the former USC senior offensive analyst. 

“It was a contractional dispute. There was a disagreement over the terms. My understanding, unconfirmed, but my understanding is when we look at these teams around the league right now they’re offering their assistant coaches by-in large three year contracts, so in this particular case, I think the Raiders were at two and I think Kingsbury got at least two years left on the deal that the Cardinals are currently paying him so they’re really wouldn’t have been any added guaranteed money by taking it on. There was that disagreement between that third year that I believe contributed significantly to the breakdown in these talks and to Washington going ahead and giving him that three-year contract that most assistants have gotten during this hiring cycle…”

(per Adam Schefter via The Pat McAfee Show) 

"It was a contractual dispute between Kliff Kingsbury and the Las Vegas Raiders..

I think the Raiders were offering a two year deal and Washington was more than happy to offer that third year" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/tYJuBTOinJ

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 5, 2024

At the end of the day, Kingsbury wanted that third year, and the Raiders were unwilling to budge. 

The Raiders lost out on a good one, and it could bite them at the end of it. Say what you want about Kingsbury as a head coach, but as a coordinator, he has shown he has the tools to guide a team to an elite offense. Look at what he did in the college game and even the early years as the Arizona Cardinals head coach. He helped lead the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2021 and to a top-10 scoring and total offense that same season. 

This could be a move the Raiders will regret; nonetheless, the Commanders have themselves a good one. Maybe after this report by Schefter, we could put to bed the Commanders, Kingsbury, and Caleb Williams conspiracy theory to bed now (yeah, right).