Could Caleb Williams reunite with Kliff Kingsbury in the NFL? Lincoln Riley would ‘love’ it…

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, possibly #1 in a QB-heavy field.

And Kingsbury just happens to have worked closely with Williams last season as USC’s senior offensive analyst and has been hired as the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator, after pulling out of the Las Vegas Raiders OC job at the last second.

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.

2022 Heisman winner Williams played well this past season under Kingsbury’s tutelage, throwing for 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns, while only tossing five interceptions, and adding 136 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. USC did not live up to expectations as a team, but Williams did his part.

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.

“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.

There is some serious debate about what the Bears will do since they already have Justin Fields and have supported him publicly, but that could just be a result of the team trying to boost his value ahead of trading him this offseason and drafting Williams. While Fields is a great runner, he has not developed much as a passer.  Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye could also be options for Chicago.

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, many eyes will be on whether Williams will be paired up again with Kingsbury in Washington, or if he can finally land as the once-in-a-generation QB savior Chicago has been longing for.

latimes.com