The NFL doesn’t even hold back surprises on Christmas Day, it seems. Everybody knows the Chicago Bears are hunting for a new head coach. What no one can say is who they will end up hiring. Whispers have persisted for weeks that they may prefer somebody with proven experience. Mike Vrabel is a name mentioned frequently. Now, it appears another, more prestigious one is ready to enter the chase. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is interested in returning to the NFL, and he has his eyes on the Bears job.
“Seattle Seahawks Super-Bowl winning coach Pete Carroll has expressed interest in the Chicago Bears’ head coaching job and would like to return to the sideline next season, league sources told ESPN.”
This is a surprise for many. Carroll is 73 years old and appears to have retired after stepping away from his post in Seattle. However, the pull of the game remains strong. He is likely hoping to land somewhere he can have success before time runs out. Chicago has that kind of setup with a talented roster and a young quarterback he can work with in Caleb Williams.
Nobody can dispute Carroll’s track record. He won two national championships at USC, then won Seattle their first Super Bowl in 2013. That was one of ten times his team made the playoffs, during which he oversaw the ascent of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Geno Smith. If this were ten years ago, the Chicago Bears would have the easiest decision imaginable in front of them. That is unfortunately not the case. No head coach has ever won a Super Bowl over the age of 70 in the NFL. Finding someone to pair with Williams in the long term should be the team’s goal. That won’t be happening with Carroll, who is a threat to retire at any moment. This means he’d have to offer some kind of succession plan, which seems farfetched.
It is also important to remember that Carroll enjoyed the final say over roster decisions in Seattle. The Bears will not give him that kind of power. So unless he is willing to compromise, the odds of this happening are remote. All signs point to Chicago targeting a young offensive head coach.
