Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Bryan Manning

Magic Johnson helped Commanders seal the deal with Kliff Kingsbury as OC

Magic Johnson is one of the NBA’s all-time leaders in assists. Since retiring, he has become one of America’s most successful businessmen.

Last summer, Johnson had NFL ownership to his growing portfolio as one of the minority partners in Josh Harris’ successful bid to buy the Washington Commanders. Johnson often tweets after games and was recently a part of Harris’ search committee to find a new general manager and head coach.

The Commanders have a new GM (Adam Peters) and head coach (Dan Quinn).

Washington also has a new offensive coordinator, as the Commanders officially announced former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as Washington’s new offensive boss.

So, what do Johnson and Kingsbury have in common?

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Johnson helped seal the deal for Kingsbury and the Commanders.

“When you a defensive coach like Dan Quinn, the No. 1 question is ‘Who is going to be your offensive coordinator?'” Rapoport said. “This is as big as it gets for the Washington Commanders. To look at the flip that happened when he was with the Raiders, my understanding is Magic Johnson, who is a limited partner with the Commanders, was actually the one to step in and kind of pull Kliff Kingsbury back and go, ‘You know what if this deal with the Raiders isn’t perfect, maybe there’s a home for you in Washington.'”

Kingsbury and the Raiders allegedly had a deal where he would have been Antonio Pierce’s new offensive coordinator. However, talks broke down, and the two sides went in different directions, allowing Kingsbury to sign with the Commanders.

Long after he retired, Magic Johnson is still dishing out assists.

 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.