NEWSLETTER
If you are waiting breathlessly for the Chicago Bears to hire a new head coach, just know that you are not alone.
But also, I need you to understand that there is a perfectly cromulent explanation for why things are going so slowly in the process.
This tweet from ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler puts things into perspective:
In other words, you can stop worrying about the Bears hiring Mike McCarthy after his dinner with team brass tonight. This isn’t to say that Chicago’s football team still won’t hire McCarthy. But until the Bears are Rooney Rule compliant, they can’t do anything. And I cannot imagine they would want to do anything until they have in-person meetings with coaching candidates who are in other organizations — which cannot happen until Jan. 20. That is a whole five days from now.
New NFL coach hiring policies are slowing down the Bears, others
When it comes to the NFL’s new-look coach-hiring policies, the New England Patriots are the exception and not the rule. The Pats came out, blazed through the process by flouting the Rooney Rule, and hired Mike Vrabel. One of the reasons New England could fast-track Vrabel was that he wasn’t employed by another NFL team when the process began. It also helped that the Patriots skirted the Rooney Rule to the point where pundits opined that league insiders were complicit in New England making a mockery of the rule. But I digress, for that is water under the bridge at this point and we have bigger fish to fry as we turn our focus back to the Bears head-coaching vacancy.
Based on the criteria listed above, the Chicago Bears cannot have in-person interviews with the following candidates who they have requested (and/or completed) virtual interviews with until January 20 (at the earliest):
- Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator
- Aaron Glenn, Lions defensive coordinator
- Kliff Kingsbury, Commanders offensive coordinator
- Todd Monken, Ravens offensive coordinator
- Joe Brady, Bills offensive coordinator
- Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator
- Anthony Weaver, Dolphins defensive coordinator
- Drew Petzing, Cardinals offensive coordinator
- Mike Kafka, Giants offensive coordinator
- Vance Joseph, Broncos defensive coordinator
- Adam Stenavich, Packers offensive coordinator
Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Kliff Kingsbury, Todd Monken, and Joe Brady are all still coaching in the playoffs. Brian Flores, whose team was eliminated on Monday, can speak with the Bears in a virtual interview as early as Friday. Adam Stenavich, who popped up on the coach candidate radar on Monday, can interview virtually as early as Thursday. As for the rest of the candidates listed above, they are assistants whose teams did not qualify — and they can’t meet with the Bears until Jan. 20.
CHECK IT OUT: Chicago Bears Head Coach Search Interview Tracker
Even though I think the Bears’ list of coaching candidates has reached overkill levels, my head cannon has me believing that they lined up a ton of virtual interviews because they have time to kill between now and when they can have in-person meetings with their top candidates. Whether that is the best use of time and resources is unknown. But it helps color in some spaces that otherwise were blank.
MORE: National NFL Insider Says There is “No Clarity” When It Comes to the Bears Gig
It has been 47 days since the Bears fired Matt Eberflus as their head coach. And while the team does not seem any closer to naming a full-time replacement, there are a handful of other teams who are in a similar boat. Plus, this all ends with *SOMEONE* being named head coach. The finish line is off in the distance. I hope you haven’t burned yourself out just yet.
