The Cardinals have their man
Arizona announced Tuesday it has named former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury as its new head man.
A new King in the Nest.#KardsGotKliff
— Arizona Kardinals (@AZCardinals) January 8, 2019
[https://t.co/bI2zAkAiPh] pic.twitter.com/d6kN6SR41c
According to ESPN, the deal is for four years with an option for a fifth.
Cardinals are giving new HC Kliff Kingsbury a four-year deal, with a team option for a fifth year, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 8, 2019
The Cardinals fired Steve Wilks after the team took a step back this season and finished the year with the worst record in the NFL at 3-13.
Kingsbury was fired by Texas Tech after the Red Raiders finished the year 5-7 and missed a bowl game for the third time in the last five years, then hired as USC's offensive coordinator.
The school reportedly was blocking NFL teams from interviewing Kingsbury for open positions but the coach decided to go on interviews and now appears to have landed a job in the NFC West.
The 39-year-old coach was pivotal in the development of former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns for the Chiefs this season.
He also coached Baker Mayfield in his true freshman season for the Red Raiders. Kingsbury named Mayfield his starter after bringing him on as a walk-on.
He also worked with Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M and Case Keenum at Houston.
The Jets were also reportedly interested in Kingsbury for their head coaching job.