Some might think of it as an outlandish thought right now, but in order to meet the needs of their quarterback, Caleb Williams, it’s legitimately possible that the Chicago Bears attempted to make a trade for Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell earlier this year.

On Thursday, it was revealed that Williams and O’Connell had such a good meeting at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine before that year’s NFL Draft that it led to the young quarterback wanting to play for the Vikings instead of the Bears.

Combine this with the rumors that were swirling this past January about multiple teams from around the league having interest in trading for O’Connell, and it actually seems likely that Chicago was one of the teams that, at the very least, contacted Minnesota about possibly making a deal for its head coach.

Did the Chicago Bears settle for Ben Johnson after failing to trade for Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell?

Sure, Bears fans are happy now that the team was able to hire former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the team’s new head coach. But there’s also zero guarantee that Johnson will be successful as a head coach in the NFL.

Being a good coordinator is one thing, but succeeding as a head coach is an entirely different animal. Johnson’s focus with the Lions used to primarily be on the offense, and now, he’s tasked with making decisions for the entire locker room and his coaching staff.

When it comes to O’Connell, he’s already proven that he is a great head coach by leading the Vikings to multiple seasons with at least 13 wins in his first three years with the franchise.

So the question that Chicago fans might not want the answer to is, did the Bears actually have O’Connell as their top head-coaching target over Johnson after the 2024 season?

Williams was clearly impressed with his interaction with Minnesota’s head coach at the Scouting Combine, and perhaps he pressed Chicago to do whatever they could to trade for the reigning NFL Coach of the Year.

But, whether the Bears attempted to trade for O’Connell or not, the Vikings made sure that their current head coach won’t be leaving any time soon when they rewarded him with a lucrative, multi-year extension this offseason.

If Minnesota is going to achieve any of its goals during the next few years, it’s going to happen with O’Connell leading the way.