Will Caleb Williams reunite with Kliff Kingsbury in NFL? Lincoln Riley would ‘love’ it
Kliff Kingsbury is getting another shot in the NFL, and Caleb Williams is happy for him.
Nothing more to be read into this at all.
Williams just happens to be a former USC quarterback and is expected to be one of the top picks in this year’s NFL draft.
And Kingsbury just happens to have worked closely with Williams last season as senior offensive analyst and has been hired as the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator.
Despite a basketball background as a UCLA player and general manager with the Warriors, Bob Myers is hired by the Commanders as an adviser. He will help Washington search for a new coach after Ron Rivera was fired.
And the Commanders just happen to hold the No. 2 overall draft pick.
So, yeah, when Williams took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday night to post a photo of Kingsbury in Commanders gear and the message “My dawg congrats,” there was absolutely no online speculation as to what it all meant.
Yeah, right.
Kingsbury famously was USC’s offensive coordinator for 34 days during the 2019 offseason before bolting for the NFL to claim the same position for the Arizona Cardinals. Known as a quarterback guru for his work with such accomplished passers as Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, Kingsbury returned to USC last season to work with Trojans quarterbacks in a support role under coach Lincoln Riley.
Winning a Super Bowl transforms good quarterbacks into legends, and after 57 games there are only 34 starters in that winning club.
“They have a great relationship. It was awesome for Caleb to have Kliff,” Riley told “Good Morning Football” on Monday. “In a perfect world would I love a reunion for them? That would be great. But we all know a lot would transpire between now and the draft.”
Riley is right about that — a lot would have to happen for the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner to be reunited with his “dawg” in D.C. The Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 overall pick and would likely demand quite a bit from Washington to switch places in April’s draft and ensure Williams will be on the board when the Commanders make their selection.
Plus, Dan Quinn was hired as the Commanders’ head coach late last week and may not have his head wrapped around exactly what direction he wants to take the team just yet. General manager Adam Peters, a walk-on defensive end at UCLA in 2001 and 2002, is new in town too, and the ownership group that is led by Josh Harris and includes Magic Johnson has only been in place for just over six months.
So go ahead and speculate all you want. It may not amount to anything, but with only Super Bowl LVIII left to play in the NFL season, what else are we going to do with all our spare time the next few months?
With Dan Quinn getting the Washington Commanders job, the 2024 NFL coaching cycle is complete. The Chargers snagged Jim Harbaugh; no one took Bill Belichick.
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