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Jan. 9 (UPI) — The Arizona Cardinals fired coach Kliff Kingsbury after a 4-13 season, owner Michael Bidwell announced Monday. General manager Steve Keim also resigned from his position.
“We all thought over the last three seasons or the prior three seasons that we would take the next step up after having achieved a playoff appearance last year. It didn’t happen,” Bidwell told reporters.
“The people in this room and our fans know all the reasons why, dating back to last year, that different factors worked against us. Still not an excuse. And we expected better, I expected better and we deserve better.”
The moves come just 10 months after the Cardinals signed Kingsbury and Keim to contract extensions, which run through 2027.
Bidwell said the Cardinals’ search to fill the vacant positions has already begun. He said he already interviewed three general manager candidates. He also said Keim informed the team last week of his resignation and cited “health” as a reason for the departure.
Kingsbury led the Cardinals to a 5-10-1 record in 2019, his first season with the franchise. He led the team to an 8-8 record in 2020 and 11-6 mark in 2021.
Kingsbury, 43, served as the head coach at Texas Tech for six seasons before he joined the Cardinals. He had no prior NFL coaching experience.
Keim, 50, became the Cardinals general manager in 2013. The Cardinals were 80-80-2 and made the playoffs three times over his 10-year tenure as general manager for the NFC West franchise.
Keim joined the Cardinals in 1999 as a scout. He held various other roles in player personnel before he was named general manager.
