The ball is firmly in Dan Quinn’s court; can he climb out of the hole he dug?

SB Nation

Washington Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn is looking for two new coordinators heading into the 2026 offseason following the firing of Joe Whitt Jr. and mutual separation from Kliff Kingsbury. While most

expected Quinn to move on from Whitt Jr. at some point soon, the rapid deterioration between Kingsbury and Quinn was the biggest surprise. The Athletics’ Dianna Russini got the ball rolling with her weekend report, stating that there’s been a disconnect between Kingsbury and general manager Adam Peters. There have since been reports refuting the disconnect between Kingsbury and Peters, but make no mistake, a disconnect does exist. It is between the coordinator and the head coach.

Quinn and Kingsbury clearly are not aligned in the vision for how the offense should look on game days, and who knows how long it has been brewing. One of the more notable moments of the season comes against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings blanked Washington 31-0, but it wasn’t as if there weren’t any opportunities to stay in the game early. While the run game showed early success, Washington failed to score from the Vikings’ 2-yard line, passing the ball three consecutive times down 7-0. The floodgates eventually opened, and Kingsbury seemingly had no plan or counter to Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Kingsbury said in his weekly presser following the game that “there weren’t a lot of great play calls in that game,” putting the blame on him and acknowledging he has to “get better.”

My guess is that Quinn began questioning the long-term sustainability of Kingsbury’s offense. Certainly, though, the decision was not about statistical success. Washington players love Kingsbury, and they showed unwavering faith and love in Kingsbury’s ability, according to various player interviews following the end of the season, including quarterback Jayden Daniels. Secondly, this is a season where Kingsbury was handicapped from week one; he never had a fully healthy deck of cards to work with, so the philosophical disconnect speaks louder when the coordinator didn’t do a terrible job.

What does this mean for Quinn, though? Who would have thought that, following a 2024 campaign in which the Commanders fell one game short of a Super Bowl, his coordinators would no longer be part of the team because they both didn’t meet Quinn’s expectations? Whereas you would have more so expected his staff to start taking promotions elsewhere. Coaches don’t get three opportunities to hire another set of coordinators, especially if it is a byproduct of losing football games. So the pressure is on Quinn, and it’s essential that whatever transpires in the coming days be part of the plan he mapped out after deciding to move on from both of his coordinators. Coaches typically get a third opportunity to hire another set of coordinators, especially if it is a byproduct of losing football games. While Quinn stressed in his end-of-season presser that staff decisions are a collaborative effort, general manager Adam Peters made it very clear that staff decisions are solely on Quinn and that he is just there to help support Quinn however he can and “help him make the decisions that he needs to make.”

While Peters, from his point of view, wouldn’t dare call Quinn’s seat warmer, understanding the massive turnover about to take place, it is inherently hotter now, whether he’d like to acknowledge it or not. While competency and having an identity are most essential for the offensive coordinator, Quinn has to nail the defensive coordinator hire, someone who is an effective communicator, talent developer, and strategist. After those hires, it’s officially Adam Peters’ season, and he may have the biggest hole to climb out of between him and Quinn.

In the Trap or Dive with Commanders content creator Rio Robinson, we discussed the fallout from Quinn and Peters end-of-season presser, and Quinn’s firing of his coordinators.

You can listen to the full Trap or Dive with Rio below. We also discussed: