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It’s expected that former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Kliff Kingsbury, who infamously “retreated to Thailand” after quitting the NFL, will make a comeback.

As NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reports, Kingsbury is expected to be hired as the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders. Before being fired after four seasons as the Cardinals’ head coach, the 44-year-old made headlines for planning a one-way trip to Thailand to take a break from coaching.

But he came back to the game the next year, working under Lincoln Riley at the University of Southern California with quarterback Caleb Williams.

He’s now returning to the NFL after receiving a huge promotion. While Kingsbury was head coach of Texas Tech, he worked with MVP Patrick Mahomes and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Baker Mayfield. He was with the Cardinals from 2019 to 2022.

With his college-style offense failing to transition to the NFL over time, Kingsbury was only able to lead the Cardinals to the postseason once in four seasons.

He has now been tasked with enhancing an offensive that finished 27th in yards in 2023 for Las Vegas, and many are asking if he will use the same failed system that was used in Arizona.

With Jimmy Garoppolo still under contract, Kingsbury and new head coach Antonio Pierce must make a significant decision as quarterback. But once Pierce took over as the team’s temporary head coach, he didn’t play.

Although rookie Aidan O’Connell had a minimal impact in his first season, he showed promise, so it’s not obvious if he will be the team’s long-term starting quarterback.

Following his appointment, the Raiders finished the 2023 season strongly, and Pierce was favored by both the players and the public to take over as head coach full-time. As a first step, he has now hired Kingsbury.

With players like Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams, and Josh Jacobs, the team will be well-prepared for the 2024 season. However, they will face competition from the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, and Denver Broncos, who are rumored to be considering a trade up in the draft to select Caleb Williams.