Why Kliff Kingsbury Makes Sense As Coach For The New Orleans Saints

Whether Kliff Kingsbury interviews with the Saints or not, here's why he makes sense for New Orleans.

Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury on the sidelines against the Baltimore Ravens / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints were initially reported as putting in an interview request for Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury for their head coaching vacancy on Wednesday. That report turned out to be false, as have a few other ''reports'' regarding New Orleans coaching interests.

Kingsbury, 45, is in his first year with Washington. They finished the regular season with a 12-5 record and will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

New Orleans finished at 5-12 this season. The Saints fired coach Dennis Allen after a 2-7 start. They finished 3-5 under interim coach Darren Rizzi, who is also being considered for the permanent coaching spot.

So far, the Saints have interviewed, scheduled an interview, or requested to speak to eight confirmed candidates for their head coaching spot. While the initial report of Kingsbury turned out to be false, here's why he'd still be a wise choice for New Orleans to at least consider.

Kliff Kingsbury Profile

Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury against the Arizona Cardinals / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kingsbury was a collegiate quarterback at Texas Tech from 1998 to 2002. Over his time with the Red Raiders, he'd set a lengthy list of school records, Big 12 conference records, and even a handful of NCAA passing marks. It would ultimately lead to him being selected in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.

An arm injury resulted in Kingsbury spending all of his rookie year on injured reserve. He'd still earned a Super Bowl ring before being waived the following preseason.

After his release, Kingsbury was actually picked up by the New Orleans Saints. He'd spend one year on the Saints practice squad. Kingsbury bounced around the NFL, CFL, and NFL Europe with the Broncos, Jets, Bills, Cologne, Montreal, and Winnipeg before his professional career ended in 2007.

The University of Houston gave Kingsbury his first coaching job as a quality control coach in 2008. By 2011, he'd risen to offensive coordinator and QB coach of the Cougars, overseeing a 2011 squad that led the NCAA in nearly every offensive statistic.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Kliff Kingsbury (12) during the 2004 preseason / NOLA.com

Those achievements helped Kingsbury become head coach at Texas Tech in 2013 after a one-year stint at Texas A&M. He'd coach the Red Raiders until 2018, heading up one of the most explosive offenses in college football and overseeing the development of QB Patrick Mahomes.

Kingsbury's collegiate success prompted the Arizona Cardinals to hire him as their head coach in 2019. His coaching record with the Cardinals was 28-37-1 over four years. However, he did lead Arizona to an 11-6 mark and a playoff berth during the 2021 campaign.

The Cardinals fired Kingsbury after the 2022 season, despite the development of QB Kyler Murray. He'd spend one year as a Senior offensive analyst at USC, with QB Caleb Williams developing into the top overall choice in the 2024 NFL Draft.

This past offseason, new Washington head coach Dan Quinn hired Kingsbury to be the team's offensive coordinator. Under rookie QB Jayden Daniels, the second overall pick behind Williams, Washington had one of the NFL's most dynamic attacks.

Daniels and Kingsbury led Washington to the league's seventh-ranked offense. Washington was 17th in passing yardage, 3rd in rushing yardage, and fifth in points scored. Kingsbury is also expected to be interviewed by at least a few other teams looking for head coaches.

Kliff Kingsbury is one of the better offensive minds in football. His units have been explosive and had success everywhere he's been. Additionally, he's had a great deal of success at developing young quarterbacks.

The New Orleans Saints have had offensive issues since Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season. Those issues worsened after Sean Payton resigned after the 2021-22 campaign. A coach like Kingsbury has shown the ability to transform the Saints offense into everything it has not been over their last four campaigns.