The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury to be their offensive coordinator, a person informed of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday night.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized.
This is the first major hire for new Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who had the interim tag removed on Jan. 19. Kingsbury will be in charge of trying to turn around a Las Vegas offense that was 27th this season in yards per game (289.5) and 23rd in scoring (19.5-point average).
The Raiders also will have a decision to make at quarterback. Rookie Aidan O’Connell went 5-4 after being handed the job, but questions remain about whether he has the ability to lead the Raiders into the playoffs.
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“There hasn’t been a lot of years I’ve been the unquestioned starter going in, so I’m used to competing,” O’Connell said last week.
The Raiders pick 13th in this year’s quarterback-deep draft, but the top names likely will be gone by the time Las Vegas’ spot comes up.
Kingsbury, 44, spent this past season at USC as an offensive analyst working with quarterback Caleb Williams, who many project will be drafted first overall. Before that, Kingsbury went 28-37-1 over four seasons as the Cardinals’ coach.
Arizona went 11-6 in 2021 and made the playoffs, but the Cardinals suffered several major injuries the following season and finished 4-13, resulting in Kingsbury’s dismissal. The firing came just 10 months after the Cardinals signed him to a contract extension.
In addition to Kingsbury, the Raiders interviewed former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher, Pittsburgh Steelers QB coach Mike Sullivan and ex-Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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