Chiefs could look to reunite Patrick Mahomes with Kliff Kingsbury

Jarrett Bailey

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Chiefs could look to reunite Patrick Mahomes with Kliff Kingsbury image

The Washington Commanders made several changes to their coaching staff on Tuesday, parting ways with both offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt.

The latter firing makes sense. The Commanders were dead last in the NFL in total defense, and the unit as a whole was masked by a very good offense in 2024 that carried them to the NFC Championship Game. For that reason, it's very odd why the Commanders would move on from Kingsbury, who helped Jayden Daniels win Offensive Rookie of the Year and had the offense as one of the league's best when Daniels and Terry McLaurin were healthy.

Their loss could be a big gain for the Kansas City Chiefs, who will be in need of an offensive coordinator, as Matt Nagy's contract will run out. Kingsbury could make a lot of sense in the roll, considering his history with Patrick Mahomes, as he was his head coach at Texas Tech. And while 2025 wasn't kind to Washington, injuries to Daniels and McLaurin were the sole reasons why. The Commanders were starting Marcus Mariota and Josh Johnson for the majority of their games, and still averaged more yards per game than the Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles in spite of that.

While many may be turned off by the idea of Kingsbury going to Kansas City due to the heavy RPO usage, which is something the Chiefs already do way too much of, the Commanders were one of the league's top rushing teams in 2024, ranking third in yards on the ground and fourth in rushing touchdowns. If the Chiefs do bring in a quality running back, such as Kenneth Walker or Travis Etienne behind a good offensive line, Kingsbury could succeed and bring balance to an offense that desperately needs it in 2026.

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