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          Kliff Kingsbury backs out of consideration to be Raiders' OC

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 3, 2024, 05:57 PM
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              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
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          Kliff Kingsbury has withdrawn from consideration for the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive coordinator position, his agent, Erik Burkhardt, told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

          Contract talks broke down after sources told ESPN on Thursday that Kingsbury was expected to be hired under coach Antonio Pierce. Schefter reported Saturday that Kingsbury is now a leading candidate for the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator position.

          Kingsbury, 44, was one of at least five candidates who interviewed for the vacant position in the past two weeks, along with former Chicago Bears O.C. Luke Getsy, former Cleveland Browns coach Alex Van Pelt, Pittsburgh Steelers receivers coach Mike Sullivan and UCLA coach Chip Kelly. Van Pelt was hired to be the New England Patriots offensive coordinator.

          Kingsbury worked last fall with USC's Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, as the Trojans' quarterbacks coach and senior offensive analyst. Kingsbury also drafted Kyler Murray when he was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and coached Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield in college when he was the head coach at Texas Tech.

          With Pierce also saying he wanted a "minimum 24 points" out of a new O.C. in his introductory media conference last month, and the Raiders in need of a new quarterback, Kingsbury seemed a natural fit. His version of the "Air Raid" offense averaged 23.6 points per game over his four-season tenure with Arizona.

          The Raiders went 8-9 last season, with Pierce as the interim coach benching incumbent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and inserting rookie Aidan O'Connell and guiding the Raiders to a 5-4 finish, including going 3-1 against the AFC West with a win at the conference champion Kansas City Chiefs.

          But Las Vegas holds only the No. 13 draft pick, making trading up to the top 3 to secure the likes of Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels or North Carolina's Drake Maye an expensive proposition. The Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, who have an opening at O.C. under new coach Dan Quinn, and New Patriots, have the top three selections, respectively.