Caleb wants Bears to hire 'an offensive-minded guy'

If it's up to quarterback Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears will bring in an offensive-minded head coach this year.

"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," Williams recently said on the "St. Brown Podcast." "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 or been around."

The Bears are looking for a new coach after firing Matt Eberflus, a former defensive coordinator who lasted two-plus seasons in Chicago. With Eberflus and his staff - which featured Shane Waldron as the offensive coordinator - Williams fell short of mass expectations as a rookie after being drafted first overall.

The 23-year-old passer posted a 62.5% completion rate to go along with 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns against six interceptions. He was sacked 68 times, the most in the NFL.

"If we get an overall, like, grand-scheme coach (who) is good with time management, good with the clock, good with helping control the game - it's a big factor, obviously," Williams said. "... 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."

The Bears fired Waldron nine games into the season and finished the campaign with interim coach Thomas Brown in charge of their offense. Chicago ranked 28th in points scored and 32nd in total yards in 2024.

The Bears have interviewed several head coaching candidates in this cycle, including well-known offensive minds such as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, and Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

A video recently went viral on social media showing a fan calling Williams pretending to be Johnson, the most coveted candidate in the 2025 coaching pool.

"I was trying not to flip out because I knew they were probably recording," Williams said of the prank. "I was trying to keep my cool, but when I got off the phone I was fuming, I wanted to, like, smash some shit."

The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cowboys are also looking for a new head coach. The New England Patriots recently ended their search by hiring Mike Vrabel, who had previously interviewed with Chicago.