The Chicago Bears are interviewing everyone—except the head coach they really need

Could Josh McCown unlock Caleb Williams’ potential for generationality?
Josh McCown had a nice run in Chicago behind center. Can he succeed on the sidelines?
Josh McCown had a nice run in Chicago behind center. Can he succeed on the sidelines? / Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
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The year is 2013.

At the MTV Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke threw down a twerk for the ages. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s battle with the Mayor of Fort Lee added the word “Bridgegate” to the American lexicon. Sharknado taught us that combining man-eating fish and natural disasters can make for a hit movie.

And Josh McCown did some great quarterback things with the Chicago Bears.

In his seven starts for the Bears during the 2013 season, McCown racked up 1,945 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and just four interceptions, finishing with a 99.8 passer rating, a rating that would have ranked him eighth in the NFL, ahead of Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck, and Cam Newton.

But this isn’t about what McCown did on the field 10 years ago.

This is about what McCown could do for the Bears’ future—on the sidelines.

NFC North QB Whisperer?

McCown made waves in his first season as the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings, during which time his work with Sam Darnold was nothing short of extraordinary.

Under McCown’s tutelage, Darnold evolved from, well, a bust to a confident, decisive leader, a Mayfield-esque gunslinger capable of going toe-to-toe with the Jared Goffs and the Matthew Staffords of the world.

Darnold’s performance in 2024 is precisely what the Bears should aim for with Caleb Williams in 2025:

• Decisiveness

• Consistency

• Poise under pressure

Cojones

McCown’s is known as a communicator who can connect with quarterbacks in a way that’s concise, relatable, and inspiring, and if he can develop a concrete plan for Williams’ growth, there’s little reason to doubt he’d implement it with ease.

Act Now!

If there Bears are even remotely interested in chatting with McCown, they’d better move quickly, as the New York Jets are reportedly bringing him in for a chin-wag...and the Jets' faithful are very much on board.

The Bears, however, have an advantage over the Jets, as they can offer McCown a chance to help mold Williams into the next great NFL quarterback, whereas the semi-directionless Jets offer McCown the opportunity to mold…somebody into something.

Another advantage for Chicago: They’re not the Jets.

So if the Bears are interested—which they damn well should be—they need to ring up the 45-year-old’s agent yesterday, and add him to their ever-growing list of interviewees.

The clock is ticking, Ryan Poles. Make the call.


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Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.