ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to hire former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator under head coach Antonio Pierce. Schefter reported the news on Twitter.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan interviewed for the Raiders’ offensive coordinator job. He also interviewed for the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator job, which remains vacant. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac put in his chat yesterday that Sullivan is expected to remain as Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks coach if he doesn’t get an OC job.
As for Kingsbury, this is just his second NFL job after serving as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-2022. A former quarterback in the NFL himself, Kingsbury also served as the head coach at Texas Tech where he worked with current Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Most recently, he worked with projected No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams as an offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach at USC.
Kingsbury never officially interviewed with the Steelers in their offensive coordinator search, but he was one of the hottest names this cycle. He lands in Las Vegas, who have an unsettled offensive situation with RB Josh Jacobs due to hit free agency and neither QB Aidan O’Connell nor QB Jimmy Garoppolo standing out last season. The Steelers will face Kingsbury and the Raiders, as the Raiders will host the Steelers for a game in 2024 in Las Vegas.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Raiders considered another intriguing candidate in current UCLA head coach Chip Kelly. Kelly has also served as a head coach in the NFL, spending 2013-2015 as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers.
For Sullivan, it crosses off a potential spot he could’ve landed as an offensive coordinator. He served as Pittsburgh’s play-caller after Matt Canada was fired ahead of Week 12, and Pittsburgh went 4-3 with Sullivan calling plays. If he does indeed return to Pittsburgh, he’ll provide some continuity on the staff for quarterback Kenny Pickett as the team transitions to Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator.
