NEWSLETTER
Former Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus shared a message of gratitude in a statement shared by CBS Sports.
This is what Eberflus, who was fired by the Bears on Friday, had to say after his dismissal from the team:
I want to thank the McCaskey family and [general manager] Ryan Poles for the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears,” Eberflus said, via CBS Sports. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the players for all of their effort, dedication and resilience. In every situation — practice, games and especially in the face of adversity — you stayed together and gave great effort for your team and each other.
“What I am most proud of,” Eberflus continued, “was the way you carried yourself both on and off the field and represented the Bears organization with class in the community. To the fans, thank you for your support and passion. I will always have a deep appreciation for the Bears organization and the city of Chicago.
Considering that the Bears fired Matt Eberflus two hours after hosting a press conference in which he expressed confidence that he would be coaching the team when the Bears’ Week 14 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers kicked off, his words expressing gratitude and thanks are pretty classy.
Matt Eberflus and the Bears move on
Now that we have heard from both sides, I am ready to fully put the Eberflus era behind us.
Matt Eberflus joined Robert Saleh (fired by the New York Jets in October) and Dennis Allen (dismissed by the New Orleans Saints in November) as the only NFL head coaches to be fired during the 2024 season. Eberflus’ firing in Chicago also happens to be the first time in the Bears’ franchise history that the team has moved on from its head coach during the season. I don’t imagine that is the type of history EBerflus was looking to make entering the 2024 NFL season.
Looking ahead, Ryan Poles seems to be safe in his role as general manager and figures to spearhead the search for a new head coach. Reports from NFL insiders already have the Bears targeting a particular type of head coach to replace Matt Eberflus. But we are still so early in that process. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to what is coming on the horizon.
