Cardinals fire head coach Kliff Kingsbury after 4 seasons; GM Steve Keim steps away

Dec 18, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury looks on in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
By Doug Haller and The Athletic Staff
Jan 9, 2023

The Cardinals have fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury, while general manager Steve Keim has stepped away to focus on his health, the team announced Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

  • The Cardinals plummeted to a 4-13 record in 2022, only one year after the team went 11-6 earning an NFC Wild Card berth. Arizona ended the season on a seven-game losing streak.
  • Kingsbury, 43, finished his four-year run with the Cardinals with a 28-37-1 regular season record and an 0-1 postseason mark. Arizona only had one winning season under Kingsbury.
  • The Cardinals finished near the bottom of the league in points scored and points allowed in the 2022 season.
  • Keim had been the general manager since Jan. 2013. Arizona went 80-80-2 with Keim as GM.

Backstory

The Cardinals gave Kingsbury and Keim contract extensions through the 2027 season in March 2022. Keim stepped away from the team last month with an indefinite, health-related leave of absence.

Arizona played without quarterback Kyler Murray, who also received a hefty contract extension this past offseason, for six games this past season. Murray missed two games with a hamstring injury and tore his ACL in his knee during the team’s Week 14 loss to New England. But the Cardinals only went 3-8 with Murray as the starter in 2022. 

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Kingsbury came to the Cardinals after the team fired Steve Wilks, who served as Carolina’s interim head coach in 2022 after the Panthers fired Matt Rhule during the season. Wilks only coached the Cardinals for one season, going 3-13 in 2018.

Kingsbury had spent six seasons (2013-2018) as Texas Tech’s head coach. He went 35-40 with the Red Raiders, only producing two winning seasons and resulting in three bowl appearances (1-2 in bowls).

Why fire Kingsbury now?

Under Kingsbury last season, the Cardinals made the playoffs for the first time since 2015, so it might be easy to question this decision. But not if you’ve been paying attention.

Since starting 10-2 last season, the organization has been in a tailspin. Including a postseason loss to the Rams, the Cardinals went 5-18 over their last 23 games. Amazingly, they’ve lost 13 of 14 at home.

This season they were crippled with injuries and off-field issues, but the problems ran deeper. The Cardinals were disorganized and lacked discipline, leading the NFL in penalties per game. Kingsbury’s offense lacked explosion. His relationship with Murray appeared strained. Give owner Michael Bidwill credit for understanding the quickest way to fix this was to start over. — Haller

What does Keim’s decision mean for the organization?

Keim, the organization’s GM since 2013, wasn’t expected back in the same role after taking a leave of absence last month for undisclosed medical reasons. In his absence, Bidwill promoted executives Adrian Wilson and Quentin Harris to co-interim GMs. It’s unknown if Bidwill plans to make this move permanent, but he has a history of promoting from within.

The upside: Keeping Wilson and Harris in place could make for a smoother transition. In addition to finding a head coach, the Cardinals, who will have the third pick in the NFL Draft, have massive work to do with the roster. The offensive line needs to be rebuilt. The defense lacks a pass rusher and corner depth. And with Murray recovering from knee surgery, they likely will need to figure out who starts the season at quarterback. — Haller

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What does this mean for Kyler Murray?

Kingsbury was hired in part because of his history with talented quarterbacks. He coached Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M and Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech. Once the Cardinals drafted Murray in 2019, Kingsbury was expected to mold the Heisman Trophy winner into an elite quarterback. That hasn’t happened.

Worse, Kingsbury and Murray this season didn’t always appear to be on the same page. After the Cardinals had to burn a timeout during an October win over the Saints, the quarterback memorably told Kingsbury to “calm the f— down.” Although both passed the moment off as competitive conversation, it didn’t look good. The Cardinals aren’t going anywhere unless Murray improves. This remains the organization’s biggest task. — Haller

Required reading

(Photo: Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today)

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