03 February 2024 , 04:00
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Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who famously "retreated to Thailand" after leaving the NFL, is set for a return.
Kingsbury is expected to be hired as the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive coordinator, according to NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo. The 44-year-old had been head coach of the Cardinals for four seasons before he was sacked and then made headlines by booking a one-way trip to Thailand to take a break from coaching.
However, he returned to the game the following season, working with quarterback Caleb Williams at the University of Southern California under Lincoln Riley.
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Now, he's been given a significant promotion with a move back to the NFL. Kingsbury was with the Cardinals from 2019 to 2022, and before that, he was praised for his time as Texas Tech head coach, where he worked with MVP Patrick Mahomes and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Baker Mayfield.
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Kingsbury only managed to take the Cardinals to the playoffs once in four seasons, with his college-style offense struggling to translate to the NFL over the years.
Now, he's been given the task of improving a Las Vegas offense that ranked 27th in yards in 2023, with many wondering if he will implement the same system that had struggled in Arizona.
Kliff Kingsbury used to work as the Arizona Cardinals head coach. (Getty Images)New head coach Antonio Pierce and Kingsbury have a big decision to make at quarterback, with Jimmy Garoppolo still under contract. He but didn't start after Pierce took over as interim head coach.
Rookie Aidan O'Connell showed potential in his debut season, but it's unclear if he'll be the team's future franchise QB with him only having limited success.
The Raiders had a strong end to the 2023 season after Pierce took over, and was both the fans and players' favorite to get the job full-time - with him now hiring Kingsbury as his first move.
The team will have strong roster heading into the 2024 season, including the likes Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs, but will have a tough season ahead while being in the same division as Super Bowl finalists Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers with new head coach Jim Harbaugh and Denver Broncos, who are rumoured to be looking to trade up in the draft to select Caleb Williams.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.