Things change fast in the NFL. A few weeks ago, Matt Eberflus looked like he finally had the Chicago Bears on the winning path, claiming three straight victories going into the bye week. Then, a brutal Hail Mary loss in Washington followed by a rout in Arizona left many believing it was a mirage. This is who Eberflus is. He calls a great defense, but he is woefully inadequate when it comes to actual head coaching. Poor situational awareness. Poor late-game execution. Lacking the ability to motivate.
Barring an unexpected turnaround in the coming weeks, most believe Eberflus is staring down the likelihood of getting fired. Three losing seasons in a row will do that. Candidates are already eyeing the job with intrigue. However, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune may have poured ice water on those hopes for many fans. In his recent mailbag, he dropped a shocking update involving Eberflus’ contract. It appears next year won’t be his last, signaling the Bears may have always intended to keep him longer than expected.
“While I was under the assumption Eberflus signed a four-year contract when he was hired, I’m now led to believe he actually signed a five-year deal that runs through the 2026 season. If you think about it, when you’re selling the idea of a rebuild and preaching patience, it stands to reason Eberflus would seek a deal longer than four years, and from what I’m told, I believe he got that. You may recall I asked Eberflus directly about the length of his contract when he was hired, and he declined to say.”
GM Ryan Poles knew going into his first year in 2022 that he was going to tear the roster down. That meant a complete rebuild. It would take time. For it to work, he needed to make sure there was stability at head coach. A five-year contract would, theoretically, ensure that compared to four years. That is because Poles likely knew he would draft a quarterback at some point along the way. One of the biggest issues the Bears have had is firing head coaches a year after drafting QBs. It happened with John Fox in 2018 and Matt Nagy in 2022. Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields never panned out as a result. They may not want to repeat history with Caleb Williams.
The problem is that Matt Eberflus continues to show his lack of competence at building an offensive structure that will help a young quarterback. His first offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, was a bust, and now it appears his second, Shane Waldron, isn’t much better. Keeping that hierarchy in place for the sake of continuity is terrible logic. They tried continuity on the offensive line this year and look where that got them. Eberflus isn’t cut out for the job. The number of years left on his contract shouldn’t alter the decision.
