National Football League

Amid Kyler Murray drama, Arizona Cardinals re-up with Kliff Kingsbury

Published Mar. 2, 2022 7:56 p.m. ET

Kliff Kingsbury has a new contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

According to several reports, the Cards have extended both Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim through the 2027 season. The news comes amid QB Kyler Murray's contract standoff with the organization.

Kingsbury originally signed a four-year deal when he first joined Arizona in 2019, and was set to enter the final year of that contract.

He went 5-10-1 during his first season, following up his initial campaign with an 8-8 season. In his third season, Arizona went 11-6, but they were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Los Angeles Rams. He sports a 24-24-1 overall record with the team.

"The leadership of both Steve and Kliff have been key factors in the team's turnaround over the last three seasons," Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill in a team statement. "We are all looking forward to continuing that progress and recognize these two individuals will be a big part of achieving our long-term goals as an organization."

But not everyone was on board with the team's long-term commitment.

Emmanuel Acho had some choice words for the Cards' decision and questioned why the team would entrust their future to who he labeled the NFC West's worst coach.

"How can you give Kliff Kingsbury a contract extension, when's he not the first, second, third, but fourth-best coach within his division?" Acho said Wednesday on "Speak For Yourself."

"Sean McVay's the best coach," he continued. "Either Pete Carroll or Kyle Shanahan is the second-best coach. And then at the very bottom of the NFC West you find Kliff Kingsbury, and you are going to tether yourself to the fourth-best coach out of four coaches in the division? It makes no sense to me."

"In Sean McVay's third season with the Rams, [L.A.] was in the Super Bowl. Pete Carroll in his fourth season as the head coach for the Seahawks won a Super Bowl. Kyle Shanahan in his third season with the Niners was in the Super Bowl. Don't tell me Kingsbury went to the worst organization. Keep in mind, Jared Goff was 0-7 as a starter before Sean McVay showed up, and within two seasons under McVay's tutelage, he was leading the Rams to the Super Bowl. I have a hard time paying somebody when they are the worst at what they do compared to their immediate contemporaries. Somebody make it make sense."

Kingsbury has led the forge for one of the league's more high-powered offenses since arriving in AZ. In 2021, the Cards finished seventh in big plays per game (6.9), ninth in scoring drive efficiency (41.2%), and third in fourth-down conversion rate (63.5%). Arizona recorded back-to-back seasons with a top-10 offense in yards (sixth in 2020, eighth in 2021) for the first time since 2015 and 2016.

But Kingsbury-led squads have also garnered a reputation for fast starts — and sputtering finishes. The Cardinals began the 2019 season 3-3-1 and finished it 2-7. In 2020, they started 6-3 but closed with a 1-5 stretch, and in 2021 they began with the league's best record (10-2) but ended it just 1-5.

The terms of Kingsbury's new deal have yet to be released.