Patriots have ‘done homework on’ Kliff Kingsbury as OC candidate

The New England Patriots have reportedly done homework on former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as a possible offensive coordinator candidate.

The New England Patriots have missed the playoffs twice in the past three seasons after losing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 18. It’s no secret that the team’s offense was a main factor in that, but the coaching staff wasn’t up to par. The Patriots had Matt Patricia calling plays while Joe Judge coached the quarterbacks. Now, this offseason, there’s the possibility that they shake up the offensive coaching staff. One interesting name has been floated as a candidate.

Albert Breer of The MMQB said this past Sunday that the Patriots have done their research on former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as an offensive coordinator. This was written before Kingsbury was fired by the Cardinals on Monday.

Breer made an appearance on NBC Sports Boston on Wednesday, saying that the Patriots have “done some homework” on Kingsbury and that Belichick does have a “fascination” with the former quarterback and Cardinals head coach.

Patriots have ‘done some homework’ on Kliff Kingsbury

“They absolutely made phone calls on him. I know they’ve done some research on Kliff,” said Breer. “…It’s more background stuff. They haven’t contact Kingsbury directly to my knowledge, but I do know that they’ve done some homework on him. I think Bill does have a level of fascination with what Kingsbury’s done. As much criticism as he got for how his offense runs, the Cardinals were as creative as any team in the league. They were very difficult to deal with because they do so many things differently than NFL teams do them.”

While Breer brings up that the Patriots are fascinated by Kingsbury, he brings up that it’s not a given that he would be an option for the team. Not just for them, but for any NFL team, as Breer says that it’s possible Kingsbury could sit out next season, citing that he’s “burnt out” after this season.

“I think the issue is Kliff’s a little burnt out right now,” said Breer. “I think the last year was really hard on him. He’s due $30 million over the next four years. He can make that much money if he wants to go globetrotting or whatever, won’t matter, he’ll make that money. So I think Kliff might be more of the mind to take a year off. I think he’s someone the Patriots have turned over rocks on.”

Kingsbury does have that link to the Patriots, as he was a former quarterback and 2003 sixth-round pick by the team.

Let’s take a look at how the Cardinals offense ranked with Kingsbury as head coach in terms of average yards and points per game (via ESPN):

• 2019: 341.7 yards (21st), 22.6 points (17th)
• 2020: 384.6 yards (sixth), 25.6 points (13th)
• 2021: 373.6 yards (eighth), 26.4 points (11th)
• 2022: 323.5 yards (22nd), 20.0 points (21st)

It will remain to be seen who the Patriots ultimately decide upon to be their new offensive coordinator. While they have done their research on Kingsbury, it’s not a guarantee that he’ll take the job.