Why Kliff Kingsbury might turn down head coach opportunities

The Chicago Bears' search for their next head coach has come with plenty of twists and turns throughout the process, including losing one of their top candidates, Mike Vrabel, who agreed to become the New England Patriots head coach.

Building a list that has reached around 20 different candidates, one coach the Bears are said to be considering is someone they have familiarity with after interviewing him last year: Washington Commanders offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury.

The Bears brought Kingsbury in twice prior to the 2024 season to interview for their vacant offensive coordinator position, which ultimately went to Shane Waldron. In what was a disappointing and wild season in Chicago, Waldron was fired just after nine games in his first year in Chicago, while Kingsbury and the Commanders are in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Not only is Kingsbury enjoying success with Washington and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but he's also receiving paychecks from his previous team, the Arizona Cardinals.

On Monday, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported through a league source that Kingsbury, who coached the Cardinals from 2019 to 2022, may turn down interview requests because he is still getting paid from Arizona until 2026. Getting paid by two different franchises would take away any potential financial incentive for Kingsbury, who has drawn interest from the Bears and New Orleans Saints with their coaching vacancies.

The interest in Kingsbury comes not only from his success with the Commanders this season, but his relationship with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who he coached at USC. Not only will there be little financial incentive for Kingsbury, but the fact that Chicago brought him in last offseason twice for an interview, only to pass him over, probably doesn't hold well in any potential relationship between the two.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Why Kliff Kingsbury might turn down head coach opportunities