Kliff Kingsbury has telling admission about his NFL coaching career

Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury takes the field before their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Joe Rondone/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK

For the second time in his NFL career, Kliff Kingsbury is getting the opportunity to work with a rookie quarterback. This time, however, Kingsbury says he feels a lot more secure with his process.

Kingsbury, now the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, admitted that working with Jayden Daniels is a wholly different experience than it was working with Kyler Murray. Kingsbury was Murray’s head coach with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.

The difference, according to Kingsbury, is down to himself. Kingsbury said he feels a “night and day” difference in working with Murray and with Daniels, solely because of the amount of NFL experience he has gained.

Kingsbury calls it “night and day” difference between working with Jayden this camp and working with Kyler back in 2019 because of all the NFL experience he’s gained since that point.

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 22, 2024

It is a bit of a surprise to hear Kingsbury admit this, as it makes him sound like he was in over his head back in 2019. One has to wonder if that contributed to the reported breakdown in the relationship between Murray and Kingsbury back in 2022.

In retrospect, pairing a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback might not have been the best idea for the Cardinals. One could argue Murray has turned out fine — he won Offensive Rookie of the Year and has been selected to two Pro Bowls — but Kingsbury will probably be hoping for better results with Daniels.