The Chicago Bears are looking to kick into another coaching gear after their season finale in Green Bay on Sunday.
One potential candidate worked with the quarterback the Bears drafted with the No. 1 pick last spring. Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was the senior offensive analyst in Southern California in 2023, when Caleb Williams was in his second and final season with the Trojans after spending a year at Oklahoma.
“I know what kind of person he is,” Williams said Wednesday. “I know he loves football. I know he wants to win. He’s a competitor. So in many different aspects that I was talking about, I was around him. So I could say that being around him, I know him, I know he loves football. I ask him questions and things like that, I think if he was here I would have more to say but I think you fit a lot of those qualities I mentioned.
What are those qualities?
“A coach who challenges himself, whether it’s an offensive coordinator or a head coach, also challenges us as players – whether it’s on the field or in character, it doesn’t matter. It’s just a coach who challenges us,” Williams said. “A man of his word. He’s a morale coach, meaning whatever his rules are or whatever he’s going to bring wisdom, how he’s going to manage the team and manage and manage the team, things like that.”
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The Bears interviewed Kingsbury for the offensive coordinator job last year. They passed on him in favor of Shane Waldron, who lasted just nine games before being fired on November 12. Less than three weeks later, the day after a heartbreaking loss in Detroit on Thanksgiving, Chicago fired a head coach mid-season for the first time in franchise history when they let Matt Eberflus go.
Kingsbury is a former quarterback with head coaching experience. He led Arizona to a 28-37-1 record from 2019-2022 with one winning season.
In Washington, he oversees an offense that is among the best in the league with another quarterback at No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels. The Commanders are fourth in the NFL in yards per game and fifth in scoring.
Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will be one of the top picks on the job market. And former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is reportedly interested in returning after a one-year layoff.
The Bears (4-12) are arguably the NFL’s biggest disappointment. They came this season hoping to play, and they stood out after starting 4-2.
Chicago has lost 10 straight for the second time in three seasons for general manager Ryan Poles. The Bears dropped their last 10 games during their run in 2022 as part of a franchise-best 14-game skid that reached last year. They have never lost more than 10 in a row in one season.
Club president Kevin Warren said Poles will remain on the job and serve as a “point man” in the search. He also said that the Poles will have the “last word” if they have different opinions on who should be hired.
Williams said he is willing to contribute to the hiring process if the administration asks. If not, he insisted that’s fine, too.
“I know I’m a young person and I’m a young person, so if they make decisions without me, that’s their job to make decisions and make those kinds of decisions,” Williams said. “If they make a decision like that, just trust and believe and believe that those guys at the top, they’re making the right decisions. And that’s it. If I’m a part of it, then it’s great.”
It is reported by the Associated Press.
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