Kliff Kingsbury Reportedly Wants to Coach in NFL Again

The former Arizona Cardinals head coach would love to get his feet wet again at the NFL level, of course when the time is right and Thailand is no longer of service to him.

The Arizona Cardinals are in search for a new head coach after firing Kliff Kingsbury after four years of service. Kingsbury is largely credited to bringing Kyler Murray to the organization and helping build the Cardinals from the league's worst team to a playoff berth in the 2021 season.

Yet a 4-13 record saw all of that progress crash and burn, as both Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim (for health reasons reportedly) are out of the picture. 

While the Cardinals look for their next leader, The Score's NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported last weekend Kingsbury bought a one-way ticket to Thailand with his girlfriend and initially declined interest in coaching next season. 

However, after some time spent far away, Kingsbury may look to dive back into the coaching pool.

Schultz appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday morning after speaking with Kingsbury for 30 minutes. Schultz says he's been enjoying the time away but would like to get another opportunity at the pro level:

"What I gathered was there's no question Kliff Kingsbury wants to coach again, specifically in the NFL, not college. But he's trying to figure out right now his options," said Schultz. 

"Does it mean sitting out a year and coming back in 2024 or does he want to just come back in 2023 while the iron's hot. That's the big decision he has to make, but there's no question he wants to coach in the NFL again."

Schultz said Kingsbury feels a bit lost in terms of having a completely wide open schedule after being involved in football for so long. Even the beautiful scenery across the world can't prevent him from wanting to grab a play-calling sheet:

"Kliff Kingsbury wants to coach in the NFL again but he's trying to figure out his options right now" ~ @Schultz_Report#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/IJRi86HWOQ

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 20, 2023

Kingsbury was initially linked to be interested in the Patriots' offensive coordinator opening. There's currently ten teams who have an opening for the position.

Prior to his time in Arizona, Kingsbury was the head coach at Texas Tech. After being fired by the Red Raiders, Kingsbury briefly accepted a position to become USC's offensive coordinator but quickly backtracked and took two interviews at the professional level with the Jets and Cardinals. 

While it's unknown if he'll return to college like his good friend Matt Rhule or find a coordinator position in the NFL, it sure seems that football itch can't quite be scratched. 

Follow All Cardinals on Facebook

Subscribe to All Cardinals on YouTube

Arizona Cardinals Top Stories

Top Three Head Coach Candidates Cardinals Have Yet to Interview

Cardinals Set to Interview Ejiro Evero on Friday

AJ Green Named Worst WR in NFL

Ranked: Most Likely to be Named Cardinals Head Coach

Cardinals' WR Coach Shawn Jefferson to Interview With New England

DeMeco Ryans Set to Interview With Cardinals This Week