Kliff Kingsbury Canned, But Now Has Plenty Of Free Time At Home, Which Isn't Terrible

Like all of his seasons, the Kliff Kingsbury era in Arizona flamed out at the end.

Kingsbury was canned Monday after four years at the helm of the Cardinals, and just one year after receiving a contract extension. The former Texas Tech coach went 28-37-1 with Arizona, never made any noise in the playoffs, and, at least this season, appeared at odds with franchise QB Kyler Murray.

Kingsbury becomes the second coach fired before noon on what's known around the league as 'Black Monday,' joining former Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith.

Cardinals fire Kliff Kingsbury, who can now enjoy Veronica Bielik

Kingsbury joined the Cardinals after the 2019 season, and helped get them into the playoffs just two years later. Still, the team never fully reached its potential during his tenure, and he quickly became known for his strong starts to the year and terrible finishes.

Speaking of that ... the Cardinals ended this season on a seven-game losing streak, although, to be fair, Kyler Murray has been out for weeks now with a torn ACL.

Arizona was Kingsbury's first NFL job. Before that, the 43-year-old was the head coach at Texas Tech for six seasons. He initially took the OC job at USC after the 2019 season only to pivot to the NFL.

Kliff Kingsbury fired, but it ain't all bad. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Reports also indicate that Kingsbury's contract was fully guaranteed through 2026.

Over the weekend, NFL Network reported that the Cardinals had begun doing their homework on several coaches to replace Kingsbury if they went this route, including Sean Payton.

While Kingsbury's coaching future is very much unknown at this point, I have a feeling his fully guaranteed NFL contract and new freedom will play just fine at home with girlfriend Veronica Bielik.