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Kingsbury, who was a senior offensive assistant at Southern California last season, appeared to be in line for the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator job, but he reportedly withdrew his name from consideration and quickly emerged as one of the top candidates for Washington. He takes over amid a top-to-bottom rebuild of the team that began last year with Josh Harris’ $6.05 billion purchase of the franchise and continued with the hiring of General Manager Adam Peters in January.
Washington turned to Quinn largely for his leadership, experience and success on the defensive end, but Kingsbury could have an even bigger impact on the team’s trajectory. Washington is coming off a 4-13 season and hasn’t posted a winning record since 2016. He has had 14 starting quarterbacks over the last decade and is in dire need of an infusion of creativity and player development into the offense. Kingsbury has a history of both.
Kingsbury, a former Texas Tech quarterback selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round in 2003, spent most of four seasons in the NFL, primarily as a practice squad player. He played briefly in the Canadian Football League and then turned to coaching, starting as a quality control coach at the University of Houston in 2008.
Kingsbury, 44, was later promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, then jumped to Texas A&M, where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and worked with 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel . In 2013, Kingsbury was hired as coach at his alma mater and helped develop first-round quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield with the Red Raiders.
After Kingsbury was fired following the 2018 season, the Cardinals chose him to be their coach in 2019, the same year they selected quarterback Kyler Murray with the first pick in the draft. The Cardinals went 28-37-1 in four seasons under Kingsbury before dismissing him in January 2023. He joined USC three months later and worked with 2022 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, whom the Cardinals Commanders will be watching closely as the draft approaches.
Kingsbury has modified his offense over the years into a pro-style Air Raid. His scheme gives the appearance of a more modern offense, but does not rule out the running game. In 2020 and 2021, the Cardinals ranked sixth and seventh in rushing attempts, an aspect that was missing from Washington’s offense last season. But how he adapts his plan to Washington’s staff remains to be seen, in part because Washington’s staff also appears to be in flux.
The Commanders have five picks in the first three rounds of the draft. They are also projected to have the most cap space in the NFL, giving them plenty of room to add talent.
Kingsbury will be Washington’s third manager and play-caller in as many years, following Scott Turner, who ran an Air Coryell system from 2020 to 2022, and Eric Bieniemy, who ran a West Coast offense in 2023. Bieniemy He has another year on his contract and appears likely to be let go after Kingsbury’s arrival.
Whitt, 45, succeeds Quinn for the second time to take over a Commanders defense that struggled in nearly every facet last season. A former wide receiver at Auburn, Whitt began coaching in 2000 and joined the professional ranks as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. After 11 seasons as a defensive assistant for the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won the Super Bowl XLV, and a year with the Cleveland Browns, Whitt returned to Atlanta as secondary coach and passing game coordinator under Quinn. He held that title when he joined Quinn with Dallas in 2021.
Whitt and Quinn helped transform a Cowboys defense that ranked 28th in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed in 2020 into a group that led the league in interceptions and finished seventh in points allowed in 2021. Last season, the Cowboys ranked fifth in total yards. passing yards and points allowed. The Commanders placed last in all three categories.
Although Quinn pulled the strings on the Cowboys’ defense last year, it’s unclear if he plans to take over the coverages as Washington’s coach; he did it on and off for Atlanta. The most urgent thing, it seemed, was to make sure that his coordinator was familiar with his system and that he quickly assemble his staff to begin a full evaluation of the roster and the team’s plans to revamp it.
Peters, who will orchestrate the Commanders’ rebuild, said in his introductory press conference that he sees this situation as similar to the 2017 San Francisco 49ers, who also had the second pick in the draft (they traded), a new coach (Kyle Shanahan) and a new general manager (John Lynch).
“We’re going to be very diligent and process-driven in selecting who we select in free agency,” Peters said. “But here we are going to build through the draft. … It’s about having an aligned vision, collaborating, including everyone, getting everyone going in the same direction.”
On Sunday around 8 p.m., Peters waited at Dulles International Airport. to say hello to quinn while getting off a private jet. Less than an hour later, word spread about Kingsbury and Whitt’s deals.