Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is set to interview for the Chicago Bears' vacant offensive coordinator position on Friday in Los Angeles, NFL Network's Peter Schrager and Ian Rapoport reported.
Kingsbury, 44, spent last season as USC's senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach on head coach Lincoln Riley's staff, mentoring former Heisman Trophy-winning QB Caleb Williams, who announced his intentions to enter the 2024 NFL Draft earlier this week.
Kingsbury coached the Cardinals from 2019 to 2022.
ESPN first reported the news.
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy following the 7-10 season. Chicago has cast a wide net in search of his replacement, including Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak and Greg Roman, the former Ravens offensive coordinator who was out of the NFL this season.
In his next offensive play caller, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus previously said he's looking for someone who can bring innovation and big-play threats to Chicago's system.
"Obviously you want to have somebody that's a great teacher," Eberflus said on Jan. 10. "I think that's important because you know he has to coach the coaches to coach the position.
"I think that's the No. 1 trait of any great coach -- you have to be able to have the innovation to really look at the players that you have and be able to help enhance and put those guys in position to succeed and to get explosive (plays) and to move the ball down the field."
The Bears have an exciting future, owning the Nos. 1 and 9 overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, along with ample salary-cap space. They finished this past regular season strong, too, winning five of their final eight games after opening with an 0-4 record.
But quarterback remains a question. Will the Bears keep Justin Fields as his rookie contract runs down, or trade him? This could be a tempting draft to restart at the position, and the team has the ammunition to draft whichever QB it chooses.
The Bears are likely tapping the minds of the OC candidates they're interviewing, including Kingsbury, while they mull the decision. Kingsbury's offenses ranked sixth and eighth in yards per game in 2020 and 2021 with Kyler Murray at quarterback, although Kingsbury's offense struggled in 2022, his final season in Arizona, especially after Murray suffered a season-ending ACL injury that year.
