Caleb Williams: Selfishly, I’d like an offensive-minded coach, but I just want championships

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams revealed a few things during the appearance on the podcast St. Brown this week.

Williams told Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous that he recently fell for a prank text from a group of teenagers posing as Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson asking to talk about the Bears’ head coaching vacancy. Williams said he texted St. Brown to check that the number was correct, but eventually answered it and found it wasn’t before the wide line reached him. Williams called it a “classic joke” that “pissed off” him and later moved on to talk about what he’s looking for in the team’s next head coach.

Sounds like Johnson, who interviewed with the Bears, would fit the bill.

“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, and so I can also learn and grow and things like that from him and what he’s seen and what he’s been through with other QBs or been there,” Williams said.

However, Williams is not locked in on that side of the ball. He said he wanted someone “with a strong spirit, a leader of men” while referencing Lions head coach Dan Campbell, then rounded out Chicago’s Thanksgiving loss to St. Louis. Brown, Campbell and the Lions in Detroit. It was Matt Eberflus’ last game as the Bears’ head coach, and it ended with him failing to manage the clock.

“If we get an overall big-plan coach and he’s good with time management, good with the clock, good at controlling the game — that’s obviously a big factor,” Williams said. “In our game when we played you the first time, a big factor was being able to control the clock. And then he helps find the right guys to win championships. That’s the only goal I have for my NFL career is to win championships and titles.”

The opportunity to work on Williams’ development in his second season and beyond is seen as a big deal for the Bears, but it remains to be seen what direction their pursuit will ultimately take.