What day of the Bears head coaching search is this? Like Day 2,085?
It seems like we’ve been talking forever about who the next head coach will be at 1920 Football Drive, yet for how long they’ve been on the hunt it doesn’t feel like we’re all that much closer to having a concrete answer on who the favorites are or who the front office may be leaning toward.
As the Bears continue to interview every candidate under the sun (which I’m fine with, by the way), their franchise quarterback has lined out exactly what he’s looking for in his next head coach.
Caleb Williams appeared on the St. Brown Podcast hosted by Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother/former Bear Equanimeous this week. The brothers asked Caleb what he was looking for, and Chicago’s quarterback didn’t hesitate with his detailed, specific answer.
Caleb Williams Talks Head Coaching Hire
If you ask me, Caleb Williams pretty much told you his top choice as a head coach would be Ben Johnson. In the beginning, he mentions all the buzzwords we hear this time of year – leader of men, strong-willed, etc – and naturally, he also talks about selfishly wanting an offensive mind he can be patterned with for the next “19, 17, 15 years” but that’s not necessarily a dealbreaker.
The end of the clip is really where I got the feeling that Ben Johnson is Caleb’s first, second, and third choice. In the last 30 or 40 seconds he talks about wanting a coach who can challenge him and who has a little fire (if you listen to the whole clip, Caleb’s ideal choice is essentially someone the exact opposite of Matt Eberflus which is pretty funny). He insinuates with a look on his face that he’d be thrilled with Ben Johnson, and if it’s not then “it is what it is.”
Who Williams wants as the head coach shouldn’t be the only factor Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren consider in this process, but it should be a pretty darn big one.
The Bears have the best quarterback talent that they’ve ever had right now. They need to do everything right to develop him and make sure he lives up to that potential.
Players talk in the NFL. Clearly, as Caleb Williams was just on the St. Brown Podcast. But you could tell in the way Amon-Ra St. Brown talked how much he loved Johnson and didn’t want him to go. Williams didn’t just decide he wanted Ben Johnson by observing him. I guarantee you he also knows exactly how the players in Detroit feel about him too.
We have no way of knowing right now who exactly the Bears front office is leaning toward. I tend to think it’s still Ben Johnson. Heck, even if they’re not, given how their quarterback feels about him he should at least get a second interview in person at minimum. I tend to think that Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren are conducting all of these interviews because they know that they can’t move forward with Johnson until Detroit is eliminated. So in that case, sitting on your hands does you no good. Why not talk to as many football people as you can and gather as much information and intel as possible?
More On The Bears Head Coaching Search: Head Coach Candidate Power Rankings
The longer this process goes on, the more my belief grows that Ben Johnson is their preferred candidate. He’s clearly Caleb Williams’ top choice. If Johnson wants to go to the Raiders (choosing a job with no QB and Patrick Mahomes in your division just because Tom Brady is a part owner would be a WILD choice) then at least you can say you put your best foot forward. But for now, swing for the fences, and if you strike out at least you went down swinging.