Richard Sherman: Washington Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury in hopes of drafting Caleb Williams

The Washington Commanders announced Kliff Kingsbury as their next offensive coordinator on Monday, who previously spent the 2023 season as the Senior Offensive Analyst with USC following his four-year tenure as the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

Kingsbury spent last season working closely with former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams at USC, who a majority of evaluators expect to be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. And with the Washington Commanders currently slotted with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft behind the Chicago Bears, current NFL analyst and former player Richard Sherman believes that Washington hired Kingsbury with Williams on their minds.

“I do think the Commanders are saying hey, we’re getting Kliff Kingsbury because we believe or we want Caleb Williams in the fold,” Sherman told Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson on Fox Sports’ ‘Undisputed’. “We believe we can get him, we believe we’ll have access to him, that’s why they’re getting Kliff Kingsbury. I don’t think they’re getting Kliff Kingsbury to draft Drake Maye, or anybody else, or Jayden Daniels either. I think they’re getting him very specifically and if they don’t get him that’d be a massive disappointment for this franchise.”

Williams is not the only notable quarterback that Kingsbury has coached during his career, coaching names like Johnny Manziel during his Heisman Trophy-winning season at Texas A&M, Patrick Mahomes during his time as the Texas Tech head coach, and Kyler Murrary while he was the Cardinals head man. But did Washington hire the offensive mastermind with plans to reunite him with Williams?

True or not, the decision runs ultimately through the Chicago Bears, who hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. And with Chicago still having quarterback Justin Fields on their roster and various teams likely interested in the No. 1 overall pick because of Williams’ generational talent, it will surely be interesting to see how the Bears’ play their cards.

“But I’m with Key, I’m not totally sold on Caleb Williams and if I’m the Chicago Bears. I know that Sean Payton wants him pretty bad, so you’ve got Denver in the fold. You’ve got the Raiders in fold, you’ve got a lot of teams that need a quarterback,” Sherman explained. “So if I’m them, I’m talking to the Commanders and I’m telling them hey, I could give him away to Denver, or the Raiders, or I can give him to these teams if you guys don’t want to give me what I need to move up.”

Even outside of Williams, the 2024 Draft class is loaded with talent at quarterback, with Washington more than likely to get a highly-rated prospect at the position whether they trade up a spot in the draft or not. With that in mind, Sherman is still a fan of the Kingsbury hire at large. As he boasts an impressive track record with young, talented quarterbacks and an offensive scheme that Sherman was impressed with as a player facing the Cardinals in NFC West during Kingsbury’s tenure as their head coach.

“I think this is a great hire by them, I think Cliff Kingsbury in my time in the National Football League playing against him he’s really creative offensively in terms of the passing game and the concepts that they draw up. It’s not the common concepts you’re used to seeing, it’s not the common quarterback reads you’re used to seeing, it’s very intricate. I’ve had a couple times where I talked to him after a game and was like bro, I got a lot of respect for the concepts you’re drawing up, like it’s some good stuff,” Sherman said.