TEMPE, Arizona (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim after a dismal season in which they made headlines for unsavory reasons.
The team piled up losses and lost quarterback Kyler Murray to a serious knee injury. Now, he believes it needs to be rebuilt again.
“The hardest day in the life of football is when you have to part with people you respect and whose contributions you value,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said Monday.
Kingsbury, 43, who received a contract extension just last year, finishes his tenure with a 28-37-1 record in four seasons, including a 4-13 last season.
Arizona finished the season on a seven-game losing streak. The San Francisco 49ers beat him 38-13 on Sunday.
“I wish I’d worked better for him, because in terms of commitment, he’s a guy who deserved the result we’ve all been hoping for,” said Bidwill.
Keim, 50, also received a contract extension last season. He has been with the Cardinals since 1999 and has been their general manager since 2013. He filed for medical leave in December, but the team did not explain why.
Now Bidwill begins the search for a strategist and general manager. There would be several takers: the Cardinals have a long-term quarterback and have the third pick in the upcoming draft.
Bidwill said he would prefer to hire a general manager first and decide who will be the head coach later, though the order could be changed. He said he has already interviewed two internal candidates, Adrian Wilson and Quentin Harris, as well as an unidentified external candidate for the general manager position.
