ymakerpi8d
Member
The Cardinals picked their fighter in the preseason when they signed quarterback Kyler Murray to a five-year deal with $103.3 million guaranteed. After a disappointing 4-13 season, by any metric, the Cardinals fired coach Kliff Kingsbury Monday, further hitching their wagon to the quarterback.Kingsbury was 28-37-1 in four seasons as Cardinals head coach, with his greatest succe s being a Rookie of the Year win for Murray in his first season. From there, the Cardinals had one winning season under Kingsbury, 11-6 in his third year, which ended with a wild card lo s to the Rams. The Cardinals lost four of their last five regular-season games in that campaign, further compounding the frustration.The Cardinals signed Kingsbury to an extension through 2027 le s than a year ago, so there's no real pre sure for him to find another job. However, a coach with Kingsbury's college pedigree and who was Ethan Westbrooks Jersey dealt the hand he was dealt in Arizona is likely to land on his feet.Here's a look at a few prospective landing spots for the 43-year-old after his firing Monday.MORE:NFLHouston TexansThe first and most obvious potential landing spot for Kingsbury is with Houston. The San Antonio native has deep roots in Texas already, having made the jump to the Cardinals from a Cory Littleton Jersey mediocre tenure at his alma mater, Texas Tech.The Texans fired Lovie Smith after just one season on the heels of doing the same to David Culley, meaning they're clearly looking to be ambitious in the next coach they hire. With the No. 2 pick in the draft, it's a somewhat attractive position, although the Texans need more than a quarterback to compete.Kingsbury may not be looking for a project if he has his druthers. But with Kingsbury having started his coaching career with the Houston Cougars, perhaps a homecoming is in order if he wants to stay in the NFL.Patriots offensive coordinatorWhatever experiment the Patriots tried to run this season at offensive coordinator very clearly did not work.Kingsbury has significant play-calling experience and was known for his creative playbook at Texas Tech. Bill Belichick was evasive in addre sing the offensive play-calling future in New England at his end-of-year pre s conference, but Matt Patricia and Joe Judge very simply didn't cut it.The Patriots might be a good place for Kingsbury to go into hiding for a bit to lick his wounds from Lance Dunbar Jersey this Cardinals tenure, but it's hard to figure how he and Belichick's personalities will mesh.MORE:Rams coaching staffAnother place Kingsbury could land -- if Sean McVay stays -- is in Los Angeles. Kingsbury, of course, was hired as USC's offensive coordinator in 2018 before absconding for the Cardinals, so the area clearly appeals to him.If the Rams would take Kingsbury on, L.A. could make a modicum of sense for him. Again, it's a coaching staff he could succeed on if given the right opportunity, and he doesn't have to be the face of the franchise in that case. While imperfect, for a recently fired coach, a team a year removed from a Super Bowl win could be a viable spot.College footballAlabama offensive coordinatorWith Bill O'Brien's name being floated for a few NFL teams, Nick Saban could add to his Land of Lost Coaches collection with Kingsbury.It would put Kingsbury in a bridge job with a succe sful program and consistently strong pieces, and once again, he doesn't have to be the focal point. The pre sure at Alabama is always high, but Kingsbury would have an opportunity to thrive there.MORE:None of the aboveBeing entirely realistic, there's a chance Kingsbury simply ... takes a break. He had a rough few seasons in Arizona, and while some of it seemed to be his own struggles, some of it was rough luck with health and the like.Kingsbury may take some time away to try to figure things out before coming back, particularly because he may or may not drum up a lot of interest on the coaching market. The former Cardinals coach is reportedly not even Bryce Hager Jersey entertaining interview requests, according to Peter Schrager. The Fox analyst said Kingsbury bought a one-way ticket to Thailand and is telling any interested teams he's not interested in returning to at the moment.I take back every thing ive ever said about Kliff Kingsbury. The man is a genius PFT Commenter (@PFTCommenter) Kingsbury doesn't have a particularly long pedigree of succe s, but his situation is almost unique. He was fired from Texas Tech and later hired as an NFL head coach, so the Cardinals clearly saw something in him he didn't live up to. Despite the peaks and valleys of his tenure, all it takes Marshall Faulk Jersey is one team to see that same potential and offer Kingsbury a job.He was nearly an offensive coordinator before the Cardinals scooped him up, so that's the likely next step for him. The question is, where will it be, and at what level? Will Kingsbury remain in the NFL and try to rehab his reputation there? Or will he go back to college where he made his bones to begin with? Only time will tell, but whoever hires him will have to know they're taking a risk on someone who hasn't lived up to expectations in the past.