Cardinals Will See A Lot More of Kliff Kingsbury in 2026

The Arizona Cardinals will see Kliff Kingsbury twice per season.

Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals move into the 2026 season with former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur leading the way now as their head coach.

The hole in Los Angeles was bound to be filled by somebody after LaFleur's departure, though a familiar name for Cardinals fans will be on the sidelines next to Sean McVay in Kliff Kingsbury according to numerous reports.

"Kingsbury and McVay have been speaking over the last two weeks and there's mutual excitement to finally get to work together. When the Giants opted to hire Matt Nagy as OC, the path was cleared for Kingsbury to the Rams," said ESPN's Peter Schrager.

Kingsbury previously coached the Cardinals from 2019-22 before he was fired. His replacement in Jonathan Gannon lasted just three seasons in Arizona before the plug was pulled from him — opening the path for LaFleur to lead the team into 2026.

This, in all honesty, is a good opportunity for Kingsbury to get back on track in his NFL coaching career. After he was fired from Arizona, he spent one season coaching in the college ranks as USC's senior offensive analyst before joining the Washington Commanders as their offensive coordinator in 2024.

Kingsbury and Washington last season visited State Farm Stadium, where the Commanders won in convincing 42-14 fashion.

The Commanders split ways with Kingsbury this past offseason after some reported friction with head coach Dan Quinn, and after a handful of interviews elsewhere, Kingsbury lands a gig with his old friend McVay.

"He’s a tremendous coach. One of the best coaches I've ever seen or been around," Kingsbury previously said of McVay when he was still coaching the Cardinals.

Dating back to 2017, Arizona's won only three of their last 19 games against the Rams, which includes one postseason matchup.

Kingsbury's role in Los Angeles hasn't quite been defined, so it's possible Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase will step into the vacant OC role left by LaFleur. Scheelhaase may also possibly leave for the Las Vegas Raiders' staff under new coach Klint Kubiak, though he'd likely stay in Los Angeles if choosing between the two sides.

Kingsbury moves into a talented Rams team that's had one of the NFL's best offenses for the last few seasons. He's familiar with the NFC West and, at worst, can pitch some ideas around with McVay when it comes to game-planning.