Jeff Fisher has 22 years and 339 games of head coaching experience in the NFL, but apparently he’d like some more.
More specifically, it appears as though he wants a shot at the Chicago Bears:
Jeff Fisher wants to get back into the NFL next year, could be eyeing three jobs if they open: Cleveland, Indy and Chicago. Fisher buyout from the Rams was $16M.
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) December 19, 2017
Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, who has covered the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL for 23 years, hears Fisher wants back in as a NFL head coach and could have eyes for three jobs that could become available. Along with the Bears, Fisher could be eyeing a potential return with the Cleveland Browns or Indianapolis Colts.
Fisher was fired after 13 games with the Los Angeles Rams in 2016, wrapping up his career with the team as the owner of a 31-45 record in five seasons. The Rams have famously taken off since Fisher’s departure, hiring Sean McVay as his replacement, and leaving a blueprint for the Bears to follow should they choose to part ways with Fox at season’s end.
In what would be a cruel twist of fate, Fox reportedly reached out to Fisher in search of advice for handling a face-of-the-franchise-type rookie quarterback. Awkward.
This isn’t the first time Fisher has been tied to the Bears’ rumor mill, either.
Back in June, Fisher was believed to be someone on the Bears radar if John Fox’s team faltered in Year 3. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller shared industry speculation that Fisher and retired Oklahoma University coach Bob Stoops were in line for a potential move to Chicago. Stoops quickly put out the flames surrounding that rumor and has stepped back out of the limelight since stepping away from coaching the Sooners.
The continued push for Fisher onto the periphery of the Bears’ coaching search is puzzling. In June, Miller linked Fisher to the Bears because of his time as a player and coach with the team back in the 1980s. Those days seem far enough removed from being a reason someone jumps onto this team’s coaching search radar.
Fisher is 173-165-1 all-time as a head coach. He led six teams to the postseason, but was a sub-.500 coach in his final seven seasons with the Titans and Rams. With all due respect to a coach who led teams in Houston, Tennessee, St. Louis, and Los Angeles, I don’t see a fit for a 58-year-old coach replacing a 62-year-old as part as a culture change at Halas Hall.