Just two days after reportedly being expected to land with the Las Vegas Raiders and head coach Antonio Pierce to become the next offensive coordinator of the franchise, Kliff Kingsbury has withdrawn his name from the position, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter tweeted the news just moments ago, stating that Kingsbury pulled his name from the search, opening up an offensive coordinator position in the NFL.
Prior to Kingsbury reportedly coming to an agreement with the Raiders on Thursday, the Raiders had previously interviewed Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan for the position. Sullivan, who served as the Steelers’ interim play-caller during the season after the Steelers fired former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, also previously interviewed for the New Orleans Saints’ coordinator position, which ultimately went to Klint Kubiak.
Now, with Kingsbury pulling out of the position with the Raiders, Sullivan could emerge as an option once again in Las Vegas. He was previously on the New York Giants’ coaching staff when Pierce was a linebacker for the Giants.
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. In recent days, it looked like he would be remaining in Pittsburgh as positions filled up. Now, though, that possibility is open again.
Kingsbury has been a popular name during this offseason coaching cycle. Peter King stated that he would speak to the Steelers about the then-open offensive coordinator position, but that never happened. He also interviewed with the Chicago Bears, along with the Raiders, before appearing to be the hire in Sin City.
But now, he’s back on the market and could find himself out of the NFL for another year after almost all of the jobs have been filled. It seems like a rather strange gamble to back out of a coordinator job just two days after reportedly being the Raiders’ expected hire.
Outside of Kingsbury and Sullivan, the Raiders also reportedly interviewed UCLA head coach Chip Kelly for the open OC position. Despite Kingsbury making the stunning move to pull his name out, the Raiders will have options for Pierce to bring in.
