The first game of the NFL season drew 33 million NBC viewers. The last game of the season on Sunday night might draw even more. And if it does, thank the Chicago Bears and their fans tuning in to watch what could be their next head coach in Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Chicago (4-12) needs a win at Green Bay (11-5) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX) to avoid ending the season on an 11-game losing streak – a dubious stretch that began with the Daniels Miracle Victory in Washington on Oct. 27. The Bears may have seen their next head coach in that game, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, someone familiar with quarterback Caleb Williams.
“I’ve heard a few people speculate about Kliff Kingsbury to Chicago because of his relationship with Williams from working together at USC in 2023,” wrote ESPN insider Dan Graziano on Thursday. “Kingsbury has done an excellent job this season with Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Do you think Chicago, which chose Shane Waldron over Kingsbury last cycle for offensive coordinator, would take another look?”
“I do,” answered insider Jeremy Fowler. “I expect Kingsbury to interview there. As was told to me, most or all the names that have been linked to the Bears are people Chicago would like to interview. Observers believe experience will be a key factor in the hiring process, and Kingsbury has experience coupled with quarterback cachet.”
Kingsbury’s experience includes 10 combined years as a college and NFL head coach, four with the Arizona Cardinals (2019-22). Now 45, the former NFL quarterback has worked closely in developing Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray, in addition to Daniels and Williams. And while Johnson, 38, has never been a head coach at any level, he’s expected to be selective. So is Kingsbury, Fowler added.
“Now, we’ve heard the buzz word ‘selective’ with Johnson’s approach to the cycle,” Fowler said. “Kingsbury will also be selective, I’m told. He’s still getting paid head coach money from Arizona and gets to coach Daniels on a Washington team that should be even better next season. I don’t think he’s ironing shirts for job interviews just yet. Keep in mind, Kingsbury was down the road with the Jets in 2019 before he took the Arizona job, so New York could double back with him.”
Both Johnson’s Lions and Kingsbury’s Commanders rank among the NFL’s top six teams in per-game total offense, points, first downs and third-down efficiency.
Chicago will have to wait to talk in-person with Johnson or Kingsbury until at least the end of the wild-card round. In 2023, the league changed its interview rules to restrict in-person meetings with head-coach candidates employed by another club until after the divisional playoffs. Either Johnson or Kingsbury could still conduct virtual interviews within league rules.
For more information on the Bears, Lions or Commanders, visit the Chicago, Detroit and Washington team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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