Kliff Kingsbury is interviewing with NFL teams after all
USC’s stance regarding Kliff Kingsbury’s availability to NFL teams has apparently shifted.
According to multiple reports, Kingsbury is able to interview with teams like the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets. The new USC offensive coordinator had reportedly been blocked by the school from interviewing with NFL teams.
Kliff Kingsbury is expected to begin interviewing for NFL HC jobs, as @JayGlazer reported, after USC initially blocked him from doing so. Cardinals and Jets wanted to talk to him, and Kingsbury is square in the HC mix.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2019
The Arizona Cardinals and Kliff Kingsbury were said to have a strong mutual interest in each other, per league sources, but they had been prevented from talking. Not now. Jets also are likely to want to talk to Kingsbury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2019
According to NFL Network, Kingsbury is still employed by USC. After it emerged that Kingsbury was being prevented from interviewing by USC over the weekend, the possibility that Kingsbury could pay his contract buyout and resign was raised.
The #AZCardinals, who have been waiting to talk with HC candidate Kliff Kingsbury, are now able to do so, I’m told. He’s still employed at USC, per team official, still on their website. It seems USC open the door here.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 7, 2019
And according to The Athletic, Kingsbury is already talking with the Jets.
SOURCE #USC OC/QB coach Kliff Kingsbury is meeting with the New York Jets now regarding their head coaching vacancy.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 7, 2019
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported last week that the Cardinals and Jets would be interested in interviewing with Kingsbury.
Kingsbury was fired at Texas Tech on Nov. 25. He was hired as USC’s offensive coordinator on Dec. 5 and is tasked with managing an offense that will include a lot of young talent in 2019. A USC spokesperson told multiple outlets that Kingsbury was still listed in the school’s directory, though he’s not listed on USC’s football site.
That is, of course, if he stays at USC. Kingsbury has become a hot NFL coaching candidate in the offseason in part because of the success of Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield. Kingsbury coached both of them at Texas Tech, though Mayfield transferred from Tech and finished his career at Oklahoma.
Kingsbury was fired at Texas Tech after the Red Raiders finished the season on a five-game losing streak. His career record with the school was 35-40.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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