Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams endured a rookie campaign filled with ups and downs that included the in-season firings of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus.
During a recent appearance on the “St. Brown Podcast,” Williams touched upon his preference regarding Chicago’s next head coach.
“Selfishly, I want an offensive-minded guy so I can build with him and be with that coach for the next 19, 17, 15 years, and so I can also learn and grow and things like that from him and what he’s seen and what he’s gone through with other QBs he’s been around,” Williams explained, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
Per Courtney Cronin of ESPN, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy are among candidates who have already completed interviews with the Bears who seemingly would fit the bill as it pertains to Williams’ wishes.
McCarthy first made his name as an offensive coach and previously worked with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. It’s possible one reason McCarthy parted ways with the Cowboys earlier this week is because he’s interested in coaching Williams.
Johnson is arguably the most sought-after offensive-minded candidate available in this hiring cycle but may prefer to accept the Las Vegas Raiders’ job due to the presence of Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. Meanwhile, Chicago has also been linked by some with Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury served as a senior offensive analyst at USC in 2023 as Williams finished his college career.
“Kingsbury was hired by USC in 2023 to help Williams prepare for life in the NFL,” Cronin mentioned on Wednesday.
“If we get an overall, like, grand scheme coach, and is good with time management, good with the clock, good with helping control the game — it’s a big factor, obviously,” Williams continued. “In our game when we played the first time at [the Lions on Thanksgiving], big factor was being able to help control the clock. And then helping find the right guys to win championships.
That’s the only goal that I have for my NFL career is to go win a championship and championships.“
Not for nothing, but McCarthy is a one-time Super Bowl champion head coach who guided the Cowboys to three straight 12-5 seasons before an injury crisis crushed Dallas’ playoff hopes earlier this fall. Perhaps those running the Bears will soon determine McCarthy is the right man to try to get the best out of Williams.
