Thanks to new NFL rules, the Chicago Bears won’t hire a head coach for at least a couple of weeks. That makes it relatively certain that they will talk to at least a dozen candidates. By all accounts, this search is run by the pairing of GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren. Interview requests have started surfacing over the past 24 hours. So far, 11 names have been mentioned. More are expected to follow. Here is who is known. The tracker will update as information flows through.
Ben Johnson (OC, Detroit Lions)
Many view him as the favorite. He’s coordinated one of the NFL’s best offenses for three consecutive years despite lacking true star power.
Aaron Glenn (DC, Detroit Lions)
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A former player who has kept the Lions defense respectable through a laundry list of injuries. He is known for fiery leadership and an aggressive mentality.
Todd Monken (OC, Baltimore Ravens)
Won two national championships as offensive coordinator for Georgia. Now has helped Lamar Jackson put together back-to-back MVP-caliber seasons.
Drew Petzing (OC, Arizona Cardinals)
Young assistant who worked with Warren for six years in Minnesota. Has considerably improved Arizona’s offense over the past two years, especially on the ground.
Mike Kafka (OC, New York Giants)
Strong ties to Ryan Poles from their time together in Kansas City. Highly thought of around the league and was viewed as a head coach-in-waiting. Setbacks in New York have sagged his stock, though.
Brian Flores (DC, Minnesota Vikings)
He was teammates with Poles in college and had a decent but controversial three-year stint as head coach in Miami. Has rehabbed his image with excellent work in Minnesota.
Mike McCarthy (HC, Dallas Cowboys)
Becomes a free agent in mid-January. Has been a head coach for 18 seasons, posting winning records in 12 of them while winning a Super Bowl in 2010.
Arthur Smith (OC, Pittsburgh Steelers)
He was the former head coach in Atlanta, where he had some decent seasons but never posted a winning record, largely due to quarterback problems. Has helped improve Pittsburgh’s offense this year.
Mike Vrabel (FHC, Tennessee Titans)
He ran the show in Tennessee for six seasons, posting four winning records and making the playoffs three times. Reached an AFC championship in 2019.
Anthony Weaver (DC, Miami Dolphins)
Defensive line specialist who got his first crack at coordinating this year. Significantly improved Miami’s defense, a long-time weakness, into a top-10 unit.
Thomas Brown (IHC, Chicago Bears)
He got handed a shit sandwich from the start. Made the best of it, beating the Packers in the season finale and ensuring the locker room doesn’t fracture further.
David Shaw (FHC, Stanford)
Checks both boxes of having head coaching experience and an offensive background. Shaw helped develop Andrew Luck before going 96-54 during a long, successful run in college.
Joe Brady (OC, Buffalo Bills)
One of the youngest coordinators in the NFL. He’s been considered a rising star ever since he helped Joe Burrow win a Heisman and national title in 2019. Now he has Josh Allen in the MVP chase.
Pete Carroll (FHC, Seattle Seahawks)
The Super Bowl champion and likely future Hall of Famer spent this past season in presumed retirement. Now he’s hoping to get back into the action, and the Chicago Bears are a premium target.
@Arnie Interesting stories about Monken. I’m intrigued by someone with such extensive knowledge of systems, teams, coaching techniques, developing players, but doesn’t seem to be the rahrah tough guy that Chicago likes. Growing up on the South Side never impressed me with “tough guys,” but feel the Bears need someone who actually can recognize when a coach, or player isn’t producing, find out why, correct it immediately or send him away. It is remarkable to me, that if your dog poops on the couch, you react right away, but when the entire receiver room is incompetent, you keep them for… Read more »
@Krisanthony I don’t want Lovie either, and I’m not comparing Vrabel to Lovie as coaches. I’m comparing the situations where a team brings in an unproven GM and pairs him with the incumbent coach, the GM then fires the coach after one season together to bring in “his guy”, and then the GM gets fired shortly after because he made the team far worse. The only difference is that Phil Emery’s crappy coach, Mark Trestman got fired along with him, whereas Tennessee is keeping the crappy coach their GM brought in. But again, I do not want Lovie Smith or… Read more »
Come on Bears and do the Bears thing. You need a tough guy that knows what Chicago is. It’s a city of broad shoulders and tough jaw lines. Brains are for pussies. Singletary, Jeff Fisher, Rivera and Les Frazier are still available oddly enough. Pounce! All are leaders of men
@Arnie
If Vrable is equal to Lovie, then I don’t want him. Lovie perpetuated the Bears desire to win games 17-12 with his defense playing the starting role. We saw limited success (one SB and 2 NFC title games) but that was it. You just had Lovie as your coach in Flus. Hard no to anyone from the Belechik tree they all suck. Thankfully he looks like he’s going to NE. No tears shed over this.
My preferences according who the Bears invited for interviews are: 1) Johnson – no need to question who made that offense what it is. It wasn’t Campbell other than hire the right guy and give him the autonomy. He obviously knows the passing game but is great at the running game as well. 2) ’Trade for either Shanahan or O’Connell. Poles just said that was in play too. Not happening, but the reasons for this are more than obvious. 3) Monken – John Harbaugh knows the system he wants run with his QB and Monken elevated a QB who was… Read more »