Raiders expected to hire former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, per report

Antonio Pierce has reportedly found his new offensive coordinator. Per ESPN, the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to hire former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury to serve as their new offensive coordinator. 

The Raiders interviewed a couple big names for this job. NFL Media reports that Vegas interviewed current UCLA head coach Chip Kelly at least twice, but ultimately went with Kingsbury. The 44-year-old reportedly interviewed with several teams for their offensive coordinator openings, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Kingsbury served as an offensive analyst for USC this past season after he was fired by Arizona last January. He went 28-37-1 during four seasons with the Cardinals, and made the playoffs in 2021 after going 11-6. After going 5-10-1 in his first NFL season, Kingsbury improved his win total by three wins each of the next two years. Then, things fell apart in 2022, as Arizona finished in last place in the NFC West with a 4-13 record. Previously, Kingsbury served as the head coach at Texas Tech, and offensive coordinator at Texas A&M the year Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy.

When the Raiders fired Josh McDaniels in the middle of last season, Pierce stepped in and immediately improved the defense. From Weeks 9-18, the Raiders allowed an average of 16 points per game, which led the league. As for the offense, Vegas finished with the sixth-worst unit in yards per game (289.5), and 10th-worst in points per game (19.5).

The Raiders have several questions to answer this offseason, such as who will be the starting quarterback and if Josh Jacobs will re-sign with the club. But, they reportedly have their new leader on offense.