The NFL's coach hiring cycle for 2025 is nearly complete. Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is still waiting to see if he will land a promotion.

Kingsbury was expected to be one of the hottest coaching candidates of the 2025 NFL offseason after leading Jayden Daniels to one of the best rookie seasons in league history. Instead, the former Arizona Cardinals head coach decided to wait to interview for head coaching positions while his team remained in the playoffs.

Washington has gone deeper than expected, making it to the NFC championship game. While that happened, six of the NFL's seven coaching vacancies have been filled, leaving the New Orleans Saints as Kingsbury's only potential landing spot remaining for this season.

Could Kingsbury land with the Saints in 2025? If not, where could he end up in next year's hiring cycle? Below are some options on which the 45-year-old will be keeping an eye.

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New Orleans Saints

The Saints are the lone NFL team in the 2025 hiring cycle that hasn't yet decided on a new head coach.

Could New Orleans be waiting on Kingsbury? The Saints requested to interview the Commanders offensive coordinator for their job opening. However, the two parties still haven't completed an initial interview, which may force New Orleans to wait to talk to him until after the Super Bowl.

The Saints can afford to be patient, as they are the final team expected to have a coaching vacancy during the 2025 offseason. That said, Kingsbury is also patiently awaiting the right opportunity, as ESPN's Adam Schefter noted on "The Pat McAfee Show," and it isn't clear whether that will be in New Orleans.

"If the right opportunity comes along at the right time, I'm sure he would be open and amenable to that, but he's not going to force that," Schefter said. "And I think he's more focused right now on the NFC championship game."

Kingsbury's focus may change quickly if the Commanders are eliminated from postseason contention, but NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill reports Kingsbury still hasn't decided whether to interview with the Saints. Hmay simply prefer to return to Washington for a second season in 2025, knowing that another successful season may make him the most sought-after candidate on the open market.

Between that and the Saints speaking to other offensive-minded candidates like Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore, Kingsbury landing with the Saints is hardly a slam dunk.

New York Giants

The Giants stand out as an obvious top landing spot in 2026 for Kingsbury if the top offensive mind doesn't land a job during the 2025 cycle. New York kept the brain trust of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen in place for another season, but owner John Mara implied the duo would be on the hot seat entering the season when asked about the possibility at an end-of-season media availability.

"We're gonna have to see," Mara told reporters. "I'm gonna have to be in a better mood this time next year than I am right now."

Kingsbury's potential interest in the Giants job may depend on who ends up playing quarterback for the team in 2025. New York seems likely to target either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in the 2025 NFL draft, so perhaps if Kingsbury is sold on either's potential, he would view the Giants job favorably. Even if not, the presence of Malik Nabers would give Kingsbury a top-tier receiving weapon with which to work.

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Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons despite Joe Burrow playing some of the best football of his career. Zac Taylor managed to survive the disappointment in 2024, as defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo ended up being the scapegoat for Cincinnati's failure to make the postseason.

Taylor might have trouble retaining his role again if Cincinnati fails to live up to expectations again. His contract runs through the 2026 NFL season, so it would be easier for the Bengals to move on from him.

Suffice to say that the Cincinnati job should interest Kingsbury. Burrow was a clear-cut top-five NFL quarterback during the 2024 season and has plenty of quality weapons surrounding him, most notably Ja'Marr Chase and Chase Brown. Kingsbury would be able to get the most out of them, which would help to diminish the impact of Taylor's departure.

Cleveland Browns

The NFL's other Ohio team could also have interest in Kingsbury if it moves on from Kevin Stefanski. Cleveland was willing to be patient with the two-time Coach of the Year after a 3-14 record in 2024 – a fair choice given how badly the team has been hamstrung by the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade and contract – but a similarly poor season may find the Browns seeking a change.

Watson's contract is set to eat up nearly $73 million in cap space for 2025 and 2026. That made Cleveland's coaching job look unattractive in 2025, especially considering Watson might miss the season after rupturing his Achilles again.

By 2026, the stance of prospective head coaching candidates would likely soften, as anyone taking the job would just need to deal with the full albatross deal for one season. That could give Kingsbury an interest in the job if he's a fan of Jerry Jeudy and the other offensive weapons Cleveland has.

At the same time, Stefanski's seat is only slightly warm, so the Browns being an option for Kingsbury is far from guaranteed.

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Atlanta Falcons

The same can be said of the Falcons. Atlanta nearly made the playoffs in 2024, and owner Arthur Blank is likely hoping his relationship with head coach Raheem Morris can extend beyond two seasons.

At the same time, the Falcons had the advantage in the NFC South down the stretch of the 2024 season and squandered it. Atlanta also will be entrusting 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. as its starting quarterback in 2025 and beyond. If the defensive-minded Morris and his staff can't get the most out of the southpaw, the Falcons may look to add an offensive-minded coach to the fold to develop him.

Kingsbury would qualify and should be able to implement his offensive system to suit the strengths of Penix, Bijan Robinson and Drake London. That would make him a top pivot option, though even a solid season for the Falcons could be enough for Morris to stay entrenched as the team's head coach.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bowles has led the Buccaneers to three playoff appearances during his first three years as Tampa Bay's head coach. With that in mind, listing the Buccaneers as a landing spot for Kingsbury might seem asinine, as Bowles is hardly on thin ice.

However, Bowles has led the Buccaneers to just a 1-3 record in the postseason and will turn 62 during the 2025 NFL season. If he can't bring a well-built Tampa Bay team on a deeper postseason run, the Buccaneers may seek to change things up and may prefer to do so by hiring an offensive-minded candidate to provide stability for quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Incredibly, the Buccaneers are moving onto their fourth different offensive coordinator of Bowles' four years in Tampa Bay. Byron Leftwich was fired after the 2022 NFL season while his successors, Dave Canales and Liam Coen, each took head coaching jobs after one season in the role.

Kingsbury would end that constant shuffling with his presence as head coach. That could prove beneficial to Mayfield, with whom he has a relationship from their time together at Texas Tech.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kliff Kingsbury landing spots: Will Saints target Commanders OC?