Kliff Kingsbury was officially named as the new offensive coordinator of the Commanders on Sunday. The announcement came less than 72 hours after he was reportedly all set to take the same job with the Raiders.
And then everything suddenly fell apart with Las Vegas at the 11th hour.
Kliff Kingsbury withdrew his candidacy. Washington reached out. He took the job.
It was unusual. There is no better word to describe how things played out with the former Arizona head coach than unusual.
However, according to both Peter Schrager and Adam Schefter, Kingsbury’s decision came down to one thing— his contract. The former, though a bit more cryptic than the latter, alluded to a dispute between the coordinator candidate and the Raiders organization on Good Morning Football.
Kyle Brandt was especially curious about the Caleb Williams connection. Kingsbury coached the Heisman Trophy winner at USC last season and they became very close. Does Washington hope that it will be able to draft him at No. 2?
Or, perhaps, is the team looking to move up one spot in the NFL Draft? If so, Jamie Erdahl wonders if the Bears will now use their upper hand with the first overall pick to “fleece” the Commanders.
If Williams is not part of the equation, then why did Kingsbury choose one organization over the other. Was he asking for too much money or are the Raiders cheap?
Schrager says neither. Kingsbury is still getting paid by the Cardinals this season either way. Money was not the issue.
Schefter later provided some clarity. He told Pat McAfee that Kingsbury wanted a deal that lasts at least three years. Vegas only offered two. Washington gave him three.
While both guys said that Kingsbury’s decision had to do with his contract, they did not even mention the Williams piece. Perhaps it was a little bit of both? We shall see come April…