Kliff Kingsbury’s one-way ticket to Thailand has reached its return date.
ESPN.com reported on Friday that Kingsbury is in Houston to interview with the Texans for a position on new head coach DeMeco Ryans’ staff. The exact position was unspecified in the report, but it would presumably be for offensive coordinator or possibly quarterbacks coach.
Kingsbury was fired by the Cardinals after a disappointing 4-13 season. The team went 28-37-1 during his four-year tenure.
Last we heard about Kingsbury, Peter Schrager was reporting on Fox Sports’ studio programming that the coach had bought a one-way ticket to Thailand and had no imminent plans to return to coaching.
“He’s already been contacted by several different teams about whether he’d like to interview for a job,” Schrager said.
Kliff Kingsbury during a Cardinals game on Dec. 12, 2023. Getty Images
Kliff Kingsbury was fired after the season by the Cardinals. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images“He said, ‘No, I’m good.’ He’s being paid five years guaranteed by the Arizona Cardinals. That check hits every two weeks. He’s going to take his time before he figures out if he wants to come back to football. For now he has told all teams that he is not interested in returning at the moment.”
Skeptics pointed out that it was implausible that Kingsbury actually bought a “one-way ticket” given strict rules about visas in Thailand that in most circumstances stipulate an exit date.
If Kingsbury’s contract, which was signed less than a year before he was relieved of his duties, has offset language, the coach would be effectively working for free if he returned to the NFL coaching ranks.
While the two were not ever photographed together on the jaunt, Kingsbury’s girlfriend, model Veronica Bielik, posted a number of photos on Instagram from Southeast Asia.
Ryans was hired by the Texans after the organization fired Lovie Smith at the conclusion of a 3-13-1 season. Ryans previously played linebacker for the Texans from 2006-11 and was most recently the defensive coordinator on the 49ers the past two seasons.
The Cardinals have yet to hire Kingsbury’s replacement. The known finalists are Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
