Ex-Arizona Cardinals Coach Kliff Kingsbury’s Master Plan Has One Massive Fatal Flaw

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Kliff Kingsbury will likely never read this article. In fact, he’ll probably even know it exists.

That is, in part, because he’s probably sitting on a beach somewhere in Thailand right now with his Instagram model girlfriend and loving life.

The Arizona Cardinals fired Kingsbury last week after the completion of a 4-13 season. It was the worst of Kingsbury’s four years at the helm of the NFC West franchise and he finished that tenure with a 28-37-1 record. The Cards made the NFL playoffs just once in those four years and never won the division.

But it appears Kingsbury ain’t no dummy. Rather than grind and grovel and work his way back into the often-exhausting coaching field, Kingsbury did what every coach should do. He reportedly bought a one-way plane ticket to Thailand and told teams that he’s not interested in an immediate return to coaching.

But now it appears that his plan may have one significant hangup.

Kliff Kingsbury’s Plan May Hit A Snag Due To The Wording Of His Contract

Kingsbury stands to collect a pretty hefty buyout of the five-year contract extension he signed prior to the 2022 season.

Some believed that the Cards head coach could earn north of $20 million just for being fired. But now it seems that there’s a catch.

Kingsbury may not be able to just take that money to and run off on a long-term vacation according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

Florio reports that Kingsbury may only be able to collect the buyout money if he’s actively seeking employment somewhere else.

The buyout that a coach gets when fired without cause usually has a significant string attached. Specifically, the coach can’t just sit back and collect the cash he would have earned without trying to earn some cash elsewhere. There’s an obligation to seek and accept alternative employment.

The ultimate question becomes the wording of the contract. But other coaching contracts include phrases like this: “Coach shall have the affirmative obligation to seek employment after such involuntary termination.” – via Pro Football Talk

Well, that’s lame. Here’s hoping Kingsbury finds away around the legal jargon and is living his best life out in the sun.