GLENDALE, AZ — The Arizona Cardinals fired Ex-Texas Tech quarterback and head coach Kliff Kingsbury after finishing the 2022 season 4-13. Kingsbury ends his NFL head coaching debut after four seasons despite his contract extension through 2027 ten months ago. He went 28-36-1 as the Cardinals’ head coach.
The Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury to spark their lackluster offense in 2019 after going 3-13 the previous season. Kingsbury played quarterback under the late Mike Leach and took several of his coaching philosophies with him during his tenure as the coach at Texas Tech University. Kingsbury experienced moderate success during his first three years in Arizona, drastically improving their offense.
He led the Cardinals to a 5-10-1 record in 2019, 8-8 in 2020, and 11-6 with a playoff berth in 2021. Late-season drop-offs marred what should have been key marks of improvement when grading any new head coach and left a bad taste in many after each season.
Slammed with injuries the entire season, the Cardinals failed to compete with their rivals in the NFC West. Arizona lost quarterback Kyler Murray on Dec. 12 in their loss to the New England Patriots, and that signaled the end. Although Kingsbury had to coach a team without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games, Kyler Murray for the last five games, without tight end Zach Ertz for the final seven games, and four of the Cardinals' five starting offensive linemen for stretches this season, the Cardinals still fired him and set out to find a new head coach.
The Cardinals finished the season with a 7-game losing streak, with only three out of the seven finishing close. Kingsbury might land another NFL job as an offensive coordinator somewhere in the league. However, his offense finished next to last this year, only beating out the last-place Houston Texans. More than likely, Kingsbury will land a job back in the College Football world.
Arizona announced on Twitter that owner, Michael Bidwell, would address the media at 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9.
Kilff Kingsbury
(Credit: azcardinals.com)
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