Caleb Williams deservedly kicks Matt Eberflus while he’s down amid Bears search

The Chicago Bears promptly fired head coach Matt Eberflus when the 2024 season concluded — a move that should've occurred a year prior, to be frank. Eberflus was not completely incompetent with his defensive game-planning, but Chicago's offense and overall execution was a mess under his stewardship. With Caleb Williams coming into his own, there's no time to waste.

These first few years of development for Williams, the reigning No. 1 overall pick, are precious. And essential. If the Bears mess up this window, it could move the entire franchise back to square one. Williams was plenty impressive last season in spite of his circumstances, but the Bears need to start winning games.

Chicago has executed one of the most exhaustive head coaching searches this winter. No stone left unturned, and such. That is the correct strategy, and one more teams should employ. It's best to earnestly take every option into account, rather than getting tunnel vision for a flashy name with a spotty track record.

It's unclear who the Bears will turn this team over to, but Caleb Williams has a rather thorough checklist of personal desires. The Bears' quarterback recently appeared on Amon-Ra St. Brown's podcast, where he was remarkably candid about his hopes for Chicago's next head coach.

Caleb Williams details what he wants from next Bears head coach — and basically lays out the exact opposite of Matt Eberflus

First and foremost, Williams wants a "strong-minded leader of men."

That alone cannot be read as a shot at Eberflus... except, it kind of can. Eberflus notoriously did not elicit much confidence from his players. Several times, Eberflus was on the wrong end of thinly-veiled jabs from his guys, such as this comment from WR Keenan Allen:

"I feel like we did enough as players to win the game.”

Moreover, Williams "selfishly" wants an offensive-minded head coach he can grow alongside for the next 15-plus years. Eberflus, famously, is not an offensive-minded head coach. Williams ceded that he would be fine with a more CEO, all-around type head coach, so long as he manages the clock effectively and controls the tempo of the game — something Chicago struggled with rather mightily under Eberflus.

Williams does not explicitly say "I hate Matt Eberflus," nor does he mention his former head coach in a passing moment of praise. The Bears QB seems content to just move on with his life. Eberflus was clearly not the right coach to lead Chicago to the promised land and Williams' rookie season was not the smoothest of sailing. If anything, it's fair to say Williams appears almost eager to get a new coach in the building, so long as Chicago's front office picks the right candidate.

It goes without saying that this particular podcast setup, with Williams and St. Brown in conversation, feels especially... timely. Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson is a strong candidate for the Bears job. He's a young offensize whiz, the exact kind of coach Williams is pining for. The fit is obvious, but it's up to Ryan Poles and the Bears' perpetually misbegotten front office to actually pull the trigger instead of retreading Mike McCarthy or Arthur Smith.

Only time will tell if Williams gets his wish. We know for certain, though, that Eberflus won't be on the Bears sideline in 2025.