Report: Kliff Kingsbury expected to be ‘top candidate’ for Chicago Bears head coach job

The Chicago Bears made the decision to move on from head coach Matt Eberflus following a disastrous ending on Thanksgiving. It was the first time the Bears have ever moved on from a head coach in the middle of a season and now makes them one of the most intriguing openings of the offseason.

With that, according to a report by Ian Rapoport, the Bears will have a wide-ranging search. That search is going to include Kliff Kingsbury, who is currently the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders.

“Thomas Brown, the former offensive coordinator, now becomes the interim head coach,” Rapoport said. “He, of course, will get a look at some point at being the permanent coach. Ryan Poles [is] expected to stay as GM and help Kevin Warren run the search for what should be a really coveted opening. I expect them to look at all of the top candidates like Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn and Mike Vrabel. But here’s an interesting name to watch — Kliff Kingsbury.”

This season, Kingsbury has been vital to the success of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. On top of that, he has experience working with Caleb Williams, the Bears’ rookie who has struggled with consistency during his first NFL season.

“Of course, worked with Caleb Williams at USC,” Rapoport said. “Now thriving as OC with the Commanders. Certainly, one to keep an eye on.”

Kliff Kingsbury also comes with NFL head coaching experience, having led the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 through 2022. During that time, he was vital in the development of quarterback Kyler Murray and he had a record of 28-37-1. He was fired after the 2022 season and went on to be an offensive analyst at USC.

Prior to his time in the NFL, Kingsbury was the Texas Tech head coach from 2013 through 2018. He had a record of 35-40 overall and 19-35 in Big 12 play. While there, he coached Patrick Mahomes as a college quarterback. He also spent time as an assistant coach with the Houston Cougars and Texas A&M Aggies.

The Chicago Bears are currently 4-8, which is fourth in the highly competitive NFC North. They’ve lost six games in a row and now appear to be on the outside looking in at even the Wild Card race. The last time Chicago had a winning record was in 2018 when the Bears won the NFC North. That season was an outlier in its own right as it was the first winning season Chicago had since 2012.

With that, the next Chicago head coach is going to be tasked with developing Caleb Williams while building a winning team in one of football’s toughest divisions.