NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears will have a new head coach in 2025. And like the team that fired Matt Eberflus on Black Friday, we’re getting an early start on the search with this series that will profile potential head coaches for the franchise that resides at Halas Hall.
Former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy isn’t someone I thought I’d be writing about as a Bears head coaching candidate when the team fired Matt Eberflus on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Not only did McCarthy seem relatively safe in Dallas, but it was sensible to believe that the Cowboys would run it back with a head coach who — prior to this season — had rattled off three consecutive 12-win seasons. But here we are in the second half of January chewing on the idea of McCarthy being the next head coach of Chicago’s football team.
Yeah, I can’t believe it either.
Previous Bears Head Coach Search Profiles
- Ben Johnson
- Joe Brady
- Mike Vrabel
- Liam Coen
- Zac Robinson
- Aaron Glenn
- Pete Carroll
- Drew Petzing
- Kliff Kingsbury
- Anthony Weaver
- Todd Monken
- Arthur Smith
- Brian Flores
MORE: CHICAGO BEARS HEAD COACHING CANDIDATE POWER RANKINGS — JANUARY 13, 2025
Mike McCarthy’s Coaching History
- Head Coach, Dallas Cowboys (2020-2024)
- Head Coach, Green Bay Packers (2006-18)
- Offensive Coordinator, San Francisco 49ers (2005)
- Offensive Coordinator, New Orleans Saints (2000-04)
- Quarterbacks Coach, Green Bay Packers (1999)
- Quarterbacks Coach, Kansas City Chiefs (1995-98)
- Offensive Quality Control, Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94)
- Wide Receivers, Pitt (1992)
- Grad Assistant, Pitt (1989-91)
Mike McCarthy’s Coaching Origins and Influences
Mike McCarthy’s NFL coaching career pre-dates the birth of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams by eight years. When McCarthy began coaching in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993, Marty Schottenheimer was coaching Joe Montana, Houston’s football team was the Oilers, Los Angeles had the Raiders and Rams, San Diego had the Chargers, the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons were in the NFC West, the Phoenix Cardinals resided in the NFC East, and the Seattle Seahawks were in the AFC. In other words, McCarthy has been doing this for a while.
Since beginning his journey as a head coach in 2006, Mike McCarthy has won 174 regular-season games, 11 postseason games, and a Super Bowl. He has employed quality position coaches (QBs Coach Tom Clements) and respected coordinators (Dom Capers, Kellen Moore, Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer), coached teams to a winning record with Jerry Jones lurking over his shoulder, and navigated the murky waters that come with having to handle Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. In short, McCarthy’s résumé and journey to this point is quite decorated. There is no denying his accomplishments.
How does Mike McCarthy fit (or not) the Chicago Bears’ plans in 2025 and beyond?
Mike McCarthy is one of the most polarizing head coach candidates connected to the Bears’ vacant head-coaching position. And it feels like that is putting it kindly when you consider the reactions on social media when his name is brought up as a legitimate candidate.
On the one hand, McCarthy has a lengthy résumé with a lot of wins, a Super Bowl ring, and success stories when it comes to quarterback development. But on the other hand, McCarthy’s best days came during a stretch in Green Bay from 2007-16 (when the Packers had eight years with 10+ wins and made the postseason nine times) and with Dallas from 2021-23 (when the Cowboys rattled off three straight 12-win seasons). Hence, it is fair to wonder if a third head coaching stint will be a charm — especially since the Bears are nowhere near where the Cowboys were from a pure talent standpoint.
Mike McCarthy seems like the kind of coach you could bring into Chicago and raise the standard and expectations at Halas Hall. Hiring McCarthy is the kind of safe move that could take the Bears from a 5-win team to a 10-win team. Having a head coach who has been there and done that could bring a level of respectability that this franchise hasn’t had in a while. However, at age 61, there are questions about how much longer McCarthy can coach at a high level. And I won’t even dive deep into the concerns about how his hiring would come with a limited ceiling. But just know that they are there and are on my mind.
One Big Question
Is this John Fox all over again?
Mike McCarthy checks a bunch of the same boxes John Fox did when the Bears made that hire in 2015. At the time, the Bears were coming off two years of embarrassing football. Whether it was on the field with disappointing and undisciplined play or off of it with distractions, in-fighting, and general incompetence, the Marc Trestman era was a mess. Does that sound familiar?
John Fox lasted only three years in Chicago. But he cleaned up the mess that Trestman left behind and left the team better than how he found it. If the Bears were to hire McCarthy, he would undergo a similar process trying to clean up messes that Matt Eberflus and his staff made. It is an unenviable job in that sense. But it would be rewarding to the right candidate. Perhaps that candidate is McCarthy.
Sure, I think the Bears *COULD* do better than hiring Mike McCarthy. With that being said, I know they could do worse. Should their top target, Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson, choose another team (to run it back as Lions OC), then McCarthy could be the next best available candidate. Save for an endorsement from Brett Favre, hiring McCarthy wouldn’t be a popular move in the eyes of many. But I can see a scenario where it works out for the Bears. However, we don’t need to cross that bridge if we don’t get to it. Stay tuned.
In the end, Mike McCarthy is a good coach with a quality work history. Even his biggest haters can’t deny it. Hiring the long-time head coach would be a true investment in quarterback Caleb Williams. Isn’t that what we have been wanting all along? It wouldn’t be perfect. But it would be an improvement from where this team was in 2024. And sometimes, you have to crawl before you walk.
