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Ever since the Chicago Bears ended the Matt Eberflus era, it’s felt rather inevitable that Kliff Kingsbury will become their next head coach.
Outside of putrid clock management, one of Eberflus’ top failures in 2024 was his inability to maximize the talent of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. The Bears hoped the selection of the USC quarterback—along with several notable veteran acquisitions, such as Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift—would revitalize their middling offense, but the unit wound up taking a massive step back and finished dead last in yardage this season.
Chicago needs an offensive-minded head coach to jump-start a unit that oozes potential but has felt rudderless with coordinators Shane Waldron and Luke Getsy at the helm. There’s no better choice than Kingsbury, who has a long history of getting the most out of his quarterbacks and is also already familiar with Williams.
Although Kingsbury spent only one season at USC, he helped the then-junior Williams rack up 3,633 passing yards and 30 touchdowns in 12 starts in 2023.
Williams appears amenable to joining forces with Kingsbury once again. While the quarterback didn’t openly champion him for Chicago’s vacancy, he did list traits he’s hoping to see in his next head coach (“A coach that challenges us, a man of his word , a discipline coach, a guy that wants to win”) and noted that Kingsbury “fits a bunch of those qualities.”
Kingsbury should have several suitors on the heels of his successful stint as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator. He’s spent the 2024 campaign maximizing the talents of Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels, his latest project in a line of stars that includes Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray.
After helping Washington leap from 24th to seventh in total offense with a rookie under center, Kingsbury is clearly ready to become a head coach again. Chicago should spare no expense bringing him to the Windy City to rehabilitate Williams’ career and get him back on the right track after a rocky start.