Kliff Kingsbury could be the Steelers new offensive coordinator

Stepping into an offensive coordinator spot might not be on Kingsbury’s mind right now, but it would be great for the Steelers.

News broke today that the Arizona Cardinals have fired Kliff Kingsbury from his Head Coaching rank, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. All of this comes with some surprise since he just re-signed to be the coach with Arizona through the 2027 season less than a year ago.

Kingsbury has been able to become a leader of one of the top offenses in the NFL since he took over with Kyler Murray as his top quarterback. Kingsbury was a surprising hire when he joined the Cardinals organization in 2019.

He was a part of some good offenses in college and that got his foot in the door for the NFL. His resume did not match up to most that were gunning for the job in the desert. It is unknown if he is going to stick in the NFL or try and revert to the college ranks and head up a program, but it might be too late for a good position to coach on Saturdays.

Either taking the year off or staying in the NFL might be the smartest choice for Kingsbury. He is still getting paid by Arizona for a long time, so he will have a steady income. Unless Jim Harbaugh leaves Michigan for an NFL job, then there will not be too many quality openings that would seem to interest this coach. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers should be giving him a call soon to try and see what kind of interest he might have.

Steelers could see massive improvements with Kingsbury calling the plays

Now he is left without a job and the Steelers should come calling if he decides to stay in the NFL. Bringing in an outside option might be the best choice for Pittsburgh to make going forward. The development of Kenny Pickett needs to be the top priority of this club’s future and it should start with a new play caller. Canada did show signs of improvement over the last seven games of the year, but it was not great.

Kingsbury has led some of the best offenses in the NFL since he was hired by Arizona, and he should have interest from multiple clubs across the league. Other than this past season, which was a disaster for the Cardinals, their offense was a strong attack. Besides this past year, Arizona’s offense held a top ranking in each season that Kingsbury was their Head Coach.

Looking at different options outside the organization needs to be something the Steelers do to give their team the best chance at success. Getting a young innovative mind that has a solid resume at calling offenses should be a potential option for Pittsburgh. It will all come down to if the Steelers move on from Matt Canada as their offensive coordinator or not.

The Steelers still have an offensive coordinator currently, but that could change soon. Looking at outside options like Kingsbury would be a wise decision to help make this offense more consistent in 2023.