Lincoln Riley rooting for Caleb Williams and Kliff Kingsbury connection with Commanders
Kliff Kingsbury was fired by the Arizona Cardinals just over a year ago after going 28-37-1 in four seasons as head coach in the desert.
He then spent last season "rehabbing" his image as a senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach under head coach Lincoln Riley at USC, and now he finds himself back in the league as the new offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, being hired onto new head coach Dan Quinn's staff.
Kingsbury will take the reigns of Washington's new-look offense, and it's worth noting that he may have the opportunity to work with the quarterback he got to know rather well at USC. Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Commanders have the second overall pick among many others.
If the Chicago Bears pass on USC quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall, there's a solid chance the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner could end up back with Kingsbury in Washington.
That's a scenario that Williams' now-former head coach, Lincoln Riley, is rooting for
“It would be awesome to see him [Williams] reunite with Kliff, certainly in Washington,” Riley said on "The Pat McAfee Show" (h/t On3). “But there’s a lot of things out of control and a lot of things that will transpire between now and then.”
While Riley is right that anything could happen, it's not completely absurd of an idea that Williams will end up in D.C.
In fact, there are two very real scenarios at play for the Bears. They could decide that they want to continue rolling with Justin Fields, who they drafted 11th overall in 2021.
Chicago could also favor one of the other two quarterbacks at the top of most people's draft boards. That would be either North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye or LSU quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
Either way, Williams joining back up with Kingsbury is certainly a possibility.
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