Having a young quarterback with vast potential is bound to create interest in the head coaching job from unlikely sources. The Jacksonville Jaguars learned that in 2021 when it became clear that they’d land Trevor Lawrence. That led them to hire Urban Meyer, the three-time national champion who’d never coached in the NFL before. It, of course, was a disaster. Still, that should tell you what might be coming for the Chicago Bears now that there’s been some confirmation that Caleb Williams has a chance to be really good.
Already, it was reported that Pete Carroll, the former head coach of the Seattle Seahawks who retired last year, hoped to land the Bears job. Carroll has deep ties to USC, so one can imagine he’s giddy about the opportunity to work with Williams. It seems he isn’t the only notable veteran hoping for that chance. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has heard from people around the league that a familiar face to Bears fans might be angling for the job.
Fowler: Pete Carroll might not be the only Super Bowl-winning coach vying for the Bears job. I’ve talked to multiple people who believe McCarthy — should he leave Dallas — could set his sights on Chicago. He would give the Bears much-needed experience and offensive acumen.
Despite his rocky tenure in Dallas, McCarthy would stack up well if parachuting into this candidate pool and provide leadership. He turned 61 in November but seems to have the energy for the job. He’s quite familiar with NFC North football, too. This might not graduate from a working theory stage, but enough people have mentioned the scenario to make it worth mentioning here.
The prevailing belief is team president Kevin Warren and GM Ryan Poles would prefer somebody with experience and offensive acumen to help Williams. Unfortunately, there aren’t many options available going into this cycle. Kliff Kingsbury is the only one who stands out, and one can’t exactly call his tenure in Arizona successful. McCarthy is a different story. In his 18 seasons as a head coach, he produced 12 winning seasons. He also produced a top 10 offense eleven times. Aaron Rodgers won two of his four MVPs under his direction. Dak Prescott threw a career-high 36 touchdowns last season.
Most importantly, McCarthy has a Super Bowl ring. He won it in 2010 with Green Bay. The Chicago Bears haven’t had that kind of prestige on the sideline since Mike Ditka left. A fair question is whether he has the energy and edge to handle the problems with this locker room. This team badly needs a new vision and direction. It needs discipline. Having coached for almost two decades, it is difficult to surmise whether McCarthy is the right guy for that challenge.
