Saints job was Kliff Kingsbury's for the taking but he chose Commanders, Jayden Daniels instead

The Washington Commanders have held onto their offensive coordinator after he chose to remain with the franchise over taking the head coaching gig with the New Orleans Saints.

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

The New Orleans Saint just hired their next head coach, prying away Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator Kellen Moore following the Eagles' Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. While it may seem that the Saints got their guy, that may not quite be the case as it appears that they were willing to go all-in to land Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

According to 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen, the Saints' head coaching job was Kingsbury's if he wanted it, but he decided to continue his efforts in Washington and quarterback Jayden Daniels rather than jump back into the head coaching realm.

From the Super Bowl week notebook:

I was told by a rival team official the Saints job was Kliff Kingsbury's if he wanted it. Was made clear to him that was the case. He preferred calling plays in DC and staying with Daniels over taking the gig.

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) February 10, 2025

Kingsbury, in his first season as the OC in Washington, helped transform the offense, bringing it to the new age with Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels heading the controls. Kingsbury was able to get the most out of his young team and helped lead the Commanders to a 12-5 regular season record and an NFC Championship berth while holding down a top-ten offensive unit in the league.

Kingsbury's growth as a coach as shined after a failed head coaching attempt with the Arizona Cardinals that led him to restart pretty much from scratch at USC following his stint in the NFL before head coach Dan Quinn elected to bring him into the fold this past offseason.

Kingsbury's return will allow the Commanders to have that continuity that is so sought after in the league. The offense is young with Daniels but they also have some valuable veteran pieces as well in running back Brian Robinson Jr. and wide receiver Terry McLaurin but the team and Kingsbury will likely want to do their due diligence in finding other talent, whether young or a vet, to help fill holes that were missing on that side of the ball, mainly along the offensive line and outside at wideout.

Pairing Kingsbury back with Jayden Daniels should only help the latter's development down the road before Kingsbury inevitably leaves for a head coaching position as long as he continues this dominance in his role.

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