After an abysmal 2025 season filed with injuries, blowouts, and the Washington Commanders finished the season with a 5-12 record, and have subsequently parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter was the first to report the news.
Both coordinators joined the Commanders staff under head coach Dan Quinn in 2024, with Kingsbury leaving his analyst role at USC and Whitt Jr. following Quinn from the Dallas Cowboys.
In their first season together, Kingsbury and Whitt Jr. helped lead Washington to a 12-5 record - one of the best seasons in recent history - and reached the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1991.
With hopes high for the 2025 season, as second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels returned, along with wide receivers Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown and Luke McCaffrey, and the addition of Deebo Samuel, Washington started off the season strong with a 21-6 victory over the New York Giants.
Yet, in Week 2 everything began to go downhill, and it wasn't just the loss to the Green Bay Packers. Brown suffered a groin injury that sidelined him for 10 consecutive weeks, and would ultimately end his season after a brief return. McLaurin missed seven games with a hamstring injury, McCaffrey was placed on IR after eight games, and Daniels missed over half the season with multiple upper and lower body injuries. Most notably, he suffered a gruesome left elbow injury against the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite the injuries, Kingsbury still led Washington's offense to five wins, with the help of backup quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Josh Johnson. However, Kingsbury and Quinn could not come to an agreement of the best use for Daniels dual threat passing and rushing abilities, which partially led to his departure.
Kingsbury will now search for other opportunities with different organizations, including the possibility of being a head coach.
Whitt Jr. in his second season commanded a defense that ranked in the bottom third of most NFL statistics, including giving up 30-plus points six times. The nail in the coffin for Whitt Jr.'s defense came in Week 14, when Washington was routed 31-0 by the Minnesota Vikings, a team that lost four straight games by a combined score of 53 points coming into the matchup.
His defense was also injury riddled, with a majority of his defensive line and secondary placed on IR throughout the season, leaving his pass rush vulnerable, and defensive backs unprepared to face starters in the league.
The search process for new coordinators will begin rather quickly, as the Commanders hope to land new leaders on offense and defense early in the offseason to integrate with the team.
