Arizona fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury after finishing 4-13 this season. Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals fired Coach Kliff Kingsbury and parted ways with General Mmanager Steve Keim after a dreadful season that saw constant unwanted headlines, a serious knee injury to star quarterback Kyler Murray and lots of losing.
The team confirmed the changes on Monday.
“We have announced that head coach Kliff Kingsbury has been relieved of his duties,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “In addition, general manager Steve Keim has decided to step away from his position in order to focus on his health. The team wishes them well and thanks both of them for their contributions.”
The 43-year-old Kingsbury — who received a contract extension just last year — finishes his tenure with a 28-37-1 record over four seasons, including a 4-13 mark this year. The Cardinals ended the season on a seven-game losing streak, falling to the San Francisco 49ers 38-13 on Sunday.
The 50-year-old Keim also received a contract extension last season. He’s been with the Cardinals since 1999 and served as the team’s general manager since 2013. He took a medical leave of absence in December, but the team didn’t elaborate on the reason.
Kingsbury joins a long list of names who couldn’t win enough games for one of the NFL’s least-successful franchises. The Cardinals haven’t won a championship since 1947 and have never had a coach last more than six seasons in more than a century of existence.
The low-key Kingsbury was owner Michael Bidwill’s surprise choice to lead the franchise back in 2019, replacing Steve Wilks. A few months later, the franchise selected quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
A former quarterback himself, Kingsbury had developed a reputation for working with young quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes, who played for Kingsbury at Texas Tech and went on to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl win.
TEXANS: Lovie Smith fought until the bitter end to help Houston to a win in the finale of a dismal season, with his fate likely already sealed.
Hours later he was out of a job.
Smith was fired as coach of the Texans on Sunday night after just one season in which the team went 3-13-1.
It’s the second straight season in which the Texans have fired a coach after one year. They parted ways with David Culley last January after he went 4-13 in his only season.
The Texans had the league’s worst record for most of the season, but won two of their last three games, capped by Sunday’s win over the Colts that cost the team the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. The 32-31 victory over Indianapolis gave Chicago the top pick and left Houston to choose second in April’s draft.
FALCONS: Defensive coordinator Dean Pees announced his retirement, one day after completing his second season with the team.
Pees, 73, is ending a 50-year career in football. He previously coached 16 years in the NFL, including a combined 12 seasons as the defensive coordinator at Tennessee (2018-19), Baltimore (2012-17) and New England (2006-09).
• Greg Beadles was named Atlanta Falcons president as part several changes in team owner Arthur Blank’s family business management team.
Longtime Falcons executive Rich McKay, who was hired by Blank as general manager in 2004 and was named team president in 2011, has been named CEO of the Falcons. Steve Cannon, currently CEO of Blank’s Sports and Entertainment portfolio, which also includes the MLS’s Atlanta United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, has been named vice chairman of AMBSE.
BROWNS: Joe Woods took the fall for Cleveland falling flat again.
Cleveland fired its embattled defensive coordinator as his group’s communication issues and inability to stop the run had a major role in the Browns finishing 7-10 and missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
The 52-year-old Woods was one of Kevin Stefanski’s first hires in 2020. Cleveland’s defense had trouble from the opener, leading to the Browns’ 17th double-digit loss season since the franchise’s expansion rebirth in 1999.
RAMS: Rookie safety Russ Yeast is headed home after staying overnight in Seattle with a pulmonary contusion.
Coach Sean McVay said Yeast is doing fine and is feeling well enough to travel, calling it “a blessing.”
The rookie was hurt during the Rams’ 19-16 overtime loss to the Seahawks in which Yeast got the most significant playing time of his young career.
PACKERS: Linebacker Quay Walker apologized after the second ejection of his rookie season and said he has spoken directly to the Detroit Lions physician he shoved during the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game.
Walker issued an apology via Twitter and expressed his regret again while speaking to reporters Monday.
“Another rookie mistake,” Walker said. “Selfish. Just a selfish act of me. Very, just very stupid and dumb. I’ll say immature of me. Once again, made the same mistake twice. I just always seem to overreact at times and I did it again last night. That was pretty much it.”
The incident occurred Sunday during Detroit’s go-ahead touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter of a 20-16 Lions victory that prevented the Packers from reaching the playoffs. Walker was close behind two Lions staffers as they attended to Detroit running back D’Andre Swift, Walker’s former Georgia teammate.
Lions team physician Sean Lynch put his left hand on Walker’s right elbow to move him away from the staffers so he could check on Swift as well. Walker then shoved Lynch in the back.
Packers rookie defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt – who also played at Georgia with Walker and Swift – later appeared to bump his left shoulder into Lynch’s back but didn’t get penalized.
GRONK: Rob Gronkowski will be back on a football field for the Super Bowl.
The four-time All-Pro tight end will attempt to make a field goal in Arizona on Feb. 12 during a live Super Bowl television commercial for FanDuel.
It will be a high-stakes kick for Gronkowski, a four-time Super Bowl champion with New England and Tampa Bay who is used to performing under pressure.
Anyone who places a Super Bowl bet of $5 or more on FanDuel will win a share of $10 million in free bets if Gronkowski makes the field goal.
“Everyone knows that I love throwing myself into fun, love trying out new ideas,” Gronkowski told The Associated Press. “Obviously, I can catch a football. … Why not try to kick a field goal? And on top of it, I was punt, pass and kick champion in the western New York region when I was growing up, as well. So I love kicking field goals. I used to practice all the time. This is an opportunity to help my fans out there to win $10 million in free bets, which is mind-blowing.”
Gronkowski said he made one field goal in his career, a 33-yarder in high school. FanDuel is introducing the ad campaign titled “Kick of Destiny” with a 30-second spot on Monday.
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