A lot of people turned their noses up at the idea of the Chicago Bears interviewing for Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. Most of that comes from the fact he is 73 years old. Coaches that age almost never find peak success in the NFL or any professional sport. This doesn’t feel like the right move if the Bears are gunning for championships. Then again, this organization’s track record in recent years doesn’t give them the credibility to just turn away somebody with such glittering accomplishments on his resume. So they wisely chose to speak with him.
That interview was completed on Thursday, the fourth in a series the Bears have set up over the next several days. SM received details of how it went down from sources. Carroll reportedly came across “really well.” He made a positive impression and seemed to have a detailed, well-thought-out plan for what he would do. There was also an important wrinkle involved. Carroll had ideas for a possible succession plan for the eventual point he would retire permanently. One possibility involves luring a top assistant from another team with the title of Assistant Head Coach, putting them in line to inherit the job.
He knows this might be his last chance to land an NFL job before it’s too late. Draft insider Charlie Campbell revealed a few days ago that Carroll wants the Bears job “badly.” It isn’t hard to see why. They have a young quarterback who exhibits similar traits to Russell Wilson, who became a star under the coach in Seattle. There is also the strong defense they’ve built and quality weapons. Carroll isn’t dumb. Put a good staff in place and tweak a few weaker areas so this team could be ready to compete.
Pete Carroll appears to have taken his swing, and it was a good one. Whether it’s enough to sway the Bears remains to be seen. Initial belief around the league is they’d prefer somebody younger who can grow alongside Caleb Williams. That said, if the market turns against him with top options going elsewhere, Carroll would be a pretty solid consolation prize. It sounds like he has a vision for what this team would be. Even if they only get him for four or five years, it would finally make this franchise relevant.
