As the 2025 NFL season comes to a close, teams are already looking for their next head coaches. One name at the top of everyone’s list is Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

When NFL reporter Ben Standig asked him about these job opportunities, Jayden Daniels’ coach, Kingsbury, kept his focus on his current team. He replied:

“We’ll see how that plays out, but for today, I’m just trying to get one of these quarterbacks ready on a short week.”

While Kliff Kingsbury avoided confirming any move, his refusal to engage with the topic effectively cemented a no-comment stance on replacing Dan Quinn, even as speculation continued to swirl.

Kingsbury has been very successful as the offensive coordinator for the Commanders. He has gained massive respect in the team for his work, as he helped Jayden Daniels transition easily into the NFL as a rookie in 2024. Even though Daniels has faced some challenges in his second year due to injuries, Kingsbury has kept the team competitive by turning Marcus Mariota into one of the most productive backup quarterbacks in the league. 

Because of that success, teams like the New York Giants and Chicago Bears are reportedly interested in hiring him as their head coach for the 2026 season.

Kingsbury’s comments come amid growing speculation that he could replace Dan Quinn as the Commanders’ head coach for the 2026 season, with Quinn’s future in Washington uncertain after a challenging 2025 campaign.

Kliff Kingsbury shares his take on the Commanders’ QB options if Josh Johnson weren’t available

During a recent Saturday game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Commanders found themselves in a scary situation at the quarterback position.

With rookie star Jayden Daniels already out for the season, the team started veteran Marcus Mariota. However, the situation turned critical when Mariota injured both his leg and his throwing hand on a single play. When Mariota went down, the team was left with only one healthy quarterback on the roster: Josh Johnson. This left fans and head coach Dan Quinn wondering: Who plays quarterback if Johnson gets hurt, too?

Usually, the team has “emergency” options like receiver Luke McCaffrey or tight end Colson Yankoff (who both played QB in college), but both were unavailable due to their own injuries. Coach Dan Quinn recently revealed who was actually next in line during that game

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“So yes, Luke was, of course, one, and yes, Yankoff was another, but in the last game, there was no Yank or Luke. So, are you ready for the one that was going to be in the last one? Not [quarterbacks coach] David Blough, good guess. It was going to be, and obviously working in some Wildcat, [receiver] Jaylin Lane.”

Rookie receiver Jaylin Lane was designated as the emergency QB because he had experience taking snaps and handing off the ball. Lane got injured fielding a punt in the first quarter and was ruled out for the second half of the game. With Lane out, the job fell to running back Jeremy McNichols.

The Commanders have since brought back Jeff Driskel to provide more depth. Driskel spent all of last season with the Commanders. It will likely be either him or Josh Johnson starting in Week 17 against the Cowboys if Marcus Mariota (hand) can’t go. While Coach Quinn is keeping this week’s emergency plan a secret, Colson Yankoff will likely regain that “third-string” role as he returns from injury.