NEWSLETTER
It still boggles my mind that Bill Belichick will be coaching college football in 2025. And while I do not believe the Chicago Bears were an ideal fit for Belichick at this stage of his coaching career, there is a part of me that wonders if it would’ve been wise to chop it up with the legendary NFL coach to gain some knowledge and big-picture perspective. But with that being said, perhaps there is a sensible reason for the Bears not doing so.
ESPN’s Seth Wickersham wrote a piece on the Belichick hire at North Carolina. In said piece, Wickersham makes a connection between the Bears and Bill Belichick. And in doing so, opens my eyes as to why Chicago’s football team wasn’t actively pursuing Belichick in its quest to replace Matt Eberflus as its full-time coach:
According to sources with direct knowledge, the group deemed that the Chicago Bears were probably the most attractive job, but that team brass was unlikely to consider Belichick. The group expects the same thing that most around the league do: that the Bears will go offense, hoping to give quarterback Caleb Williams a chance at a career, probably targeting Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
There are a few things that stand out to me from the passage above.
Firstly, Bill Belichick and his crew of former Patriots assistants were exploring which NFL teams would make sense as a landing spot is fun imagery. I imagine that collection of NFL minds in a secret lair straight out of an Austin Powers movie with Belichick playing the role of Dr. Evil. Secondly, the group concluded that *THE CHICAGO BEARS* were the most attractive job on the market. But perhaps the most important nugget is that the collection of football minds was self-aware enough to understand that the Bears brass was unlikely to target Belichick because it would likely take a swing at Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson.
Self-awareness is an underrated trait. And because Bill Belichick and his team seem to have it, the North Carolina Tar Heels will be led by an NFL coaching legend. Who saw that coming?
What the Bears want in their next coach is coming into focus
Ultimately, this tracks with what we posted on Wednesday about the lack of NFL interest in Belichick. Despite the rings and the resume, it seems as if the Belichickian way of doing business isn’t what NFL teams want right now. To each their own, I suppose. With that being said, I feel as if the passage above from Wickersham’s piece also gives us an idea of what the Bears are thinking and gives us some perspective when it comes to what they will be up against as they go on their coaching search. That is far more valuable information to us as Bears fans.
It sure seems like the Bears will be prioritizing offensive-minded candidates this time around. This isn’t to say a defensive-leaning coaching candidate (Mike Vrabel? Aaron Glenn?) is totally off their radar. But a coach with a defensive background would have to make a whopper of a pitch to get consideration. With that being said, Chicago’s football team must be on its P’s and Q’s if it wants to get this hire right, especially if other job openings are targeting the same candidates and thinking the same thing with wanting to prioritize offensive-minded coaching candidates.
In the end, I hope the Bears won’t regret not giving Bill Belichick a shot to make a pitch for their head coach opening. Then again, it probably wasn’t going to be a good fit anyway. Maybe there is something to be said about the Bears not trying to fit a square peg in a round hole for a change. Perhaps we’ll find out after the dust settles on this coaching search.
