Former CFL QB Kliff Kingsbury fired after four seasons as Arizona Cardinals’ head coach

Photo: AP/John Bazemore

Former CFL quarterback Kliff Kingsbury has been fired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

The 43-year-old coached the Cardinals to a 4-13 record this season, finishing last in the NFC West. He has finished his four-year tenure with Arizona with a 28-37-1 record and one postseason berth, which came in an NFC Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.

Kingsbury signed with the Montreal Alouettes in 2007 after one-year stints with the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and NFL Europe’s Cologne Centurions. He was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during training camp and dressed in 14 games as the third-string pivot behind Kevin Glenn and Ryan Dinwiddie.

The native of San Antonio, Texas served as the club’s primary backup in the 2007 Grey Cup after Glenn suffered a broken arm the week before. Zac Taylor, Winnipeg’s third-string quarterback for the game, is now the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Dinwiddie, who took over the starting role in a losing effort, is now the head coach of the Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts.

Kingsbury served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas A&M in 2012 when Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman. He was hired as the head coach of Texas Tech, his alma mater, the following season and led the team to a 35-40 record over six years.

Arizona’s general manager Steve Keim also decided to step away from his position due to health issues.