And there’s one particular coach Williams appears to have his heart set on.
If Ryan Poles was watching Caleb Williams’ podcast interview with the St. Brown “Podcast,” he’ll know exactly what his young QB wants for his next head coach.
Suffice it to say Williams is looking for the anti-Matt Eberflus.
But not only in wanting a “strong-minded leader of men” as his next boss, though that would obviously be a much-needed change of pace.
The former No. 1 pick clearly wants a coach who knows how to speak the language of offensive football.
“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. So I can also learn and grow … from him and what he’s seen, what’s he gone through with other QBs. So that’s “selfishly,” Williams told the St. Brown brothers, including division rival Amon-Ra of the Detroit Lions.
While he said he wouldn’t say no to a “grand-scheme” coach who does well with clock management and strategy, including another dig at Eberflus for his bungling of the Detroit game on Thanksgiving, his preference for an offensive head coach is clear.
He also seems excited about one candidate in particular: Amon-Ra’s own coach Ben Johnson — so much so that he even got catfished by anonymous fans claiming they were Johnson and pranked into thinking the Lions offensive coordinator was accepting the Chicago Bears job.
“The text was so, like, official,” Williams said. “Like, I’ve gotten that text from college coaches and other coaches before getting drafted and all that in different ways. So it looked mad professional. So I was like, ‘Alright, I’m just going to reach out.’”
“I ain’t gonna lie, it was a classic prank. It was a Grade-A, S-tier prank. I gotta give him props. I wasn’t locked in, in the moment.”
“The text was so official. I’ve gotten that text from college coaches and other coaches before getting drafted and all that in different ways.”
Bears QB Caleb Williams gives a play-by-play of getting tricked into thinking Ben Johnson was taking the Bears job. pic.twitter.com/rtVd8tvY96
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) January 15, 2025
Of course, St. Brown isn’t a fan of that idea.
“I told Ben Caleb is f—ing trash. You don’t want to go there,” the Lions receiver joked.
“Just a dude that’s got a fire to him. I don’t want people that don’t have a fire. I think I have a certain fire inside of me that certain people can’t coach or certain people can’t be around … that’s a big part of it.”
All it took was watching the end of his exchange on the coaching question to know how much he’d like Johnson to be his coach. The longer the Bears’ process drags out, the more it feels as if they’re holding out to get him in the building for an interview.
Of course, there are other offensive-minded options vying for the job as well. In fact, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who just coached Russell Wilson and Justin Fields into the playoffs, and recently ousted Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy will reportedly interview for the Bears job on Wednesday. Chicago has also requested an interview with Ravens OC Todd Monken, who has helped shepherd Lamar Jackson to potential back-to-back MVPs.
But Williams’ comments, including his desire for longevity in his next coach, points squarely at Johnson. Time to see if the Bears can make it happen.