The Chicago Bears are expected to ramp up their coaching search following Sunday’s season finale at Green Bay. One prospective possibility has worked with the quarterback the Bears chose first overall last spring. Kliff Kingsbury, the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator, was a senior offensive analyst at Southern California in 2023, when Caleb Williams was in his second and last season with the Trojans following a year at Oklahoma.
“I know what type of guy he is,” Williams stated on Wednesday. “I know he enjoys football. I understand he wants to win. He is a competitor. So I’ve been around him in a variety of ways that I mentioned earlier. So, being around him, knowing him, asking him questions, and so on, I think I’d have more to say if he was here. But I think he has a lot of the attributes I mentioned.”
What are those qualities? “A coach that challenges me, whether as an offensive coordinator or head coach, as well as our players – whether on the field or in character. “Just a coach who challenges us,” Williams explained. “A man of his word.” A discipline coach means whatever his rules are or whatever he’s going to bring in terms of regulations, how he’s going to handle the team, manage and control the squad, and so on.”
Last year, the Bears interviewed Kingsbury to be their offensive coordinator. They passed over him in favor of Shane Waldron, who lasted only nine games before being sacked on November 12. Less than three weeks later, the day after an agonizing loss to Detroit on Thanksgiving, Chicago fired a head coach during a season for the first time in franchise history, letting Matt Eberflus leave. Kingsbury is a former quarterback who has previously served as head coach. He captained Arizona to a 28-37-1 record from 2019 to 2022, including one winning season.
In Washington, he leads an attack that is among the league’s finest, with another rookie quarterback, No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels. The Commanders rank fourth in the NFL for yards per game and sixth in scoring.
Ben Johnson, Detroit’s offensive coordinator, will be among the top prospects on the job market. Pete Carroll, the former Seattle Seahawks coach, is allegedly interested in returning to the sideline after a one-year hiatus. The Chicago Bears (4-12) are perhaps the NFL’s worst letdown.
They began the season with postseason aspirations, only to falter after a 4-2 start. Chicago has lost 10 games in a row for the second time in three seasons under general manager Ryan Poles. The Bears lost their final ten games while tanking in 2022, part of a franchise-worst 14-game slump that lasted into last year. They’ve never had more than ten consecutive losses in a season.
Team president Kevin Warren has stated that Poles will remain on the job and act as the “point person” in the process. He has also stated that if the two sides disagree on who should be hired, Poles will have the “final say.” Williams said he’s willing to participate in the recruiting process if management asks. If not, he said that’s fine too.
“I know that I’m a rookie and a young guy, so if they make decisions without me, that’s their job to make decisions and make those types of decisions,” Williams pointed out. “If they make a decision like that, just hope, believe, and have faith that those guys upstairs will make the right decision. And that’s it. If I can be a part of it, that’s terrific.”
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