The Chicago Bears endured yet another tough season in 2024. After starting the year with a 4-2 record, the Bears proceeded to lose 10 consecutive games, firing head coach Matt Eberflus in the process and subjecting Caleb Williams to an egregious amount of sacks. The team had gone 7-10 the season before with Justin Fields under center, and were expected to be better this year with the highly touted Williams as their new starting quarterback.
Despite Williams playing well throughout the season, the team around him showed significant signs of regression, so much so that Williams’ abilities were not enough to overcome the team’s shortcomings. Chicago missed the playoffs for the fourth season in a row and will now be picking 10th in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, before they can focus on that, they must hire a coach.
It has been a while since a Bears coach had considerable success with the franchise. Matt Nagy’s four-year tenure from 2017 to 2021 saw the team make the postseason twice, as well as their most recent NFC North title which came back in 2018. The last Bears’ coach to win a playoff game was Lovie Smith all the way back in 2010 when the Monsters of the Midway appeared in the NFC Championship Game where they ultimately lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. As things stand right now, only the Dolphins and Raiders have gone longer without a playoff win than the Bears have.
Who Should Chicago Hire?

The Bears have a tremendous amount of pressure to make the right hire at head coach this time around. They must find the right candidate in order to maximize Caleb Williams’ potential, while also providing him with a capable enough roster. The challenge becomes even harder when taking into account how tough the rest of the NFC North will presumably be going forward.
Since the regular season ended last Sunday, the Bears have been linked to numerous candidates. At this moment, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the betting favorite to be Chicago’s next head coach at -250. Other candidates that the Bears have interviewed include Pete Carroll, Ron Rivera, David Shaw, Mike Kafka, Aaron Glenn, and more.
The list of potential candidates doesn’t stop there. The Bears plan to interview Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman after the Fighting Irish take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in Monday Night’s CFP National Championship Game. Chicago is also linked to Kliff Kingsbury and Brian Flores, both of whom have been NFL head coaches before.
Last but not least, the Bears could still pursue Mike McCarthy, who was let go by the Cowboys on Monday. Chicago had asked Dallas for permission to interview McCarthy last week, but they were declined. Having coached the Packers from 2006 to 2018, McCarthy is undoubtedly very familiar with NFC North football.

Offense Is Likely The Way To Go
Chicago has a long and well documented history of offensive struggles, highlighted by their inability to develop quarterbacks. Because of this, it makes sense for them to hire an offensive coach so that the team’s focus will center on the development of Caleb Williams.
Candidates such as Ben Johnson and Kliff Kingsbury are viewed as youthful offensive innovators who can bring a combination of exuberance and ingenuity to any team that potentially hires them. The Bears should move quickly in order to ensure that they can be the ones to hire Ben Johnson. If they do not act soon, another team will likely jump at the chance to acquire Johnson’s services.
If Chicago misses out on Johnson, they should look towards Kingsbury or McCarthy if they have their eyes on an offensive guy. If they opt to go for defense, a candidate like Marcus Freeman would be a very solid option seeing how much success he has had at Notre Dame since taking over in 2021.

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