Four weeks separate the Chicago Bears from the end of another miserable season. If nothing else, there is definite clarity on a direction for once. Head coach Matt Eberflus was fired midseason, which means the team will go hunting for a replacement. Rumblings indicate they have already begun vetting possible candidates. No decision is near, but the process has begun. Fans want to know if they have any plan for how they wish to approach what figures to be the most consequential decision in recent franchise memory.
The crew of the CHGO Bears podcast brought on ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler to discuss the situation. From what he understands, the search will likely involve 10-12 candidates at most. Obviously, quarterback Caleb Williams and his future success are focal points, but there is also an understanding that the Bears represent a difficult challenge. Fowler has it on good authority that the organization is leaning toward hiring somebody with experience. They want a leader who’s been through the process, can manage games, and knows how to get the best out of a roster.
Start with the team’s track record of hiring first-time head coaches. Since the start of the Super Bowl era, they have hired eight such coaches. Only three of them—Mike Ditka, Lovie Smith, and Matt Nagy — ended up with a winning record by the time they left. Conversely, two of the four coaches who came in with prior experience made the playoffs at least once. The two flops, Marc Trestman and John Fox, were both on the older side and considered past their primes. It seems plausible that the Bears would seek out somebody experienced and still relatively young.
This plan would clearly indicate that team president Kevin Warren is leading the charge behind the scenes. During his first NFL stint from 1997 to 2017, he worked for three different franchises. At that time, they all seemed to prefer targeting candidates with extensive coaching experience. The Rams hired Dick Vermeil, Detroit hired Steve Mariucci, and Minnesota hired both Brad Childress and Mike Zimmer. All had either been head coaches before or had been in the league for at least 20 years.
If this is the path they stay on, names like Mike Vrabel, Brian Flores, Arthur Smith, Vance Joseph, and Kliff Kingsbury become targets of intrigue. There is also a possibility the Bears will dabble in the college ranks. It should be fascinating in the next few weeks.
