As the NFL coaching hiring cycle heats up, former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has emerged as a name to watch. Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown even took to X to share his thoughts on the free agent coach. Here’s what Brown had to say, along with potential landing spots for the veteran play-caller.
What Did Hollywood Brown Say About Kliff Kingsbury?
On Friday afternoon, during the height of the coach-hiring cycle, Brown took to X, where he posted a one-word message that read “Kliff,” along with a chef and fire emoji. Chiefs fans quickly jumped to the conclusion that Kansas City may have just hired Kingsbury as their new offensive coordinator.
However, minutes later, Brown cleared up his initial statement. The WR then sent out a follow-up tweet that read. “Meaning : I see my guy Kliff getting hype and whoever gets him will be a good hire.”
Brown, currently a free agent, likely sent out the tweet as a general endorsement for Kingsbury, rather than specifically for the Chiefs. This likely stems from Brown’s time playing for Kingsbury. Before becoming a Chief in 2024, Brown was a Cardinal in 2022 and 2023. 2022 was also Brown’s first season in Arizona, while it was Kingsbury’s last year as a head coach.
In the lone season Brown and Kingsbury overlapped, Arizona posted a 4-13 record. The offense ranked 23rd among all units per PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact Metric that year. Meanwhile, Brown played 12 games that season, recording 67 receptions for 709 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. Despite Arizona’s poor record and an underwhelming offensive output, Brown clearly enjoyed his time playing for Kingsbury.
Potential Landing Spots for the Former Head Coach
On Jan. 6, the Commanders announced they would be parting ways with Kingsbury. The play-caller spent two years in Washington, where he helped lead the team to sixth in PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact Metric in 2024 and 11th in 2025. Although the Commanders have decided to go in a new direction, his two-year stint with the team was a strong bounce-back from his time with the Cardinals.
Days later, Kingsbury interviewed for the Baltimore Ravens head coaching position. Having experience coaching mobile quarterbacks such as Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson would be an excellent fit for Kingsbury’s system.
As of now, six other teams have head coaching vacancies. The list of teams includes the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Tennessee Titans.
As noted, and per Brown’s message on X, Kingsbury is a very qualified offensive coordinator. If he cannot find a head-coaching job, he will surely find another role as a coordinator. Assuming Brown re-signs with Kansas City this offseason, he will undoubtedly want Kingsbury on their offensive staff.
