Right now, the Chicago Bears control the narrative of the 2024 NFL draft. They not only sit at 1-5, holding the #2 overall pick, but they also hold the 1st round pick of the Carolina Panthers. That means they control the #1 overall pick as well. This means they hold the rights to USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the widely believed top quarterback in the 2024 class. However, it seems like the idea of drafting Williams loses appeal every week. It started with rumors he would stay in college if the team picking at #1 were one he didn't like. Then it was rumored he wants a piece of ownership from whichever team drafts him, something even Aaron Rodgers couldn't get.
It doesn't stop there. Now, a new rumor has surfaced courtesy of Scott Wolf of InsideUSC. There is a growing buzz that Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley might be seeking an exit strategy from the program. The idea is to make himself a package deal with Williams.
"In NFL coaching circles, the talk is that Lincoln Riley is putting out feelers about taking a job in the NFL next season.
To be clear, this chatter was going around last week and has nothing to do with USC’s loss to Notre Dame.
The word is Riley would be open to an NFL job if he could follow Caleb Williams to the same franchise. If the Chicago Bears had the No. 1 pick, it would probably be ideal for this theory.
The other part of the theory is that an NFL team would tell Riley who to hire, especially on the defensive staff, to avoid some of the pratfalls that have happened in college."
Riley has flirted with the NFL for years.
His failure to win a national championship in college is likely one of the big reasons he stayed. There is also the greater control college coaches have over their programs than the NFL. The truth also is that his star has faded somewhat from a few years ago. Organizations are getting wise to the fact that Riley is a one-dimensional coach.
Caleb Williams attaching himself to Riley causes issues.
No 1st round quarterback has ever done anything like that in NFL history. Teams don't like having things dictated to them by a player who hasn't even taken a snap in the pros. Besides, Williams' bargaining power is fading fast. After a terrific start to 2023, his past two games against Notre Dame and Utah showed a quarterback that looks far more ordinary than the generational phenom people keep talking about. Trying to dictate that he'll only come out if Riley is his coach hurts his chances of going #1 more than helps them.
Nobody debates the USC coach is terrific when it comes to coaching quarterbacks. He was instrumental in turning Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray into future #1 picks. The problem is everything else, specifically the defense. Riley hasn't fielded a good one since he became a head coach in 2017.
- 2017: 60th
- 2018: 105th
- 2019: 34th
- 2020: 40th
- 2021: 82nd
- 2022: 101st
- 2023: 95th
Head coaches are required to produce good teams, not just good quarterbacks. This explains why there would be a provision that the hiring team would have the authority to pick his defensive coordinator. Probably not the best way to start the next era if you're the Bears. Is Caleb Williams really worth all that? It isn't looking that way.
