CHICAGO (WGN) — While the NFL playoffs rage on, the Chicago Bears have gone full tilt into finding their next head coach.
The Bears have requested interviews with at least 19 candidates and interviewed eight of them by Monday. The Athletic's Dianna Russini stopped by and talked with our very own Jarrett Payton on what to make of Chicago's search so far.
Mike McCarthy is out in Dallas ... and headed to Chicago?
“I think this is going to be something the Bears are going to jump on knowing this was something they were interested [in]," Russini said. “The Bears have done a really good job of casting a really wide net to ensure they’re not missing anyone. They’re learning so much about every one of these candidates, but also learning a lot about themselves.
"I was told they’ve been getting some really good questions from some of these coaches about their operation and how they want to do things so, I would expect Mike McCarthy to be in the mix very soon.”
Thomas Brown's chances of becoming the Bears' next head coach
“I think they’re going to give him an opportunity and [Brown] has the advantage of having learned on the job. He knows how the organization runs and the things that they want and probably the things they need to improve on," Russini said. "He is a very accountable person. That’s something that others have told me about the way that he carries himself as a leader.
He’s not a ‘blame’ kind of guy. Sometimes you see a lot of coaches and they don’t ever want to say it’s them. He’s not one of those and I think that’s a really strong quality for a head coach who is talking to Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren and ownership and saying, ‘Look, I made mistakes here. There were some game management issues here. There are some things I could’ve done better with Caleb [Williams] there, but I’ve learned and I’ve grown and I know what we need to do to be better.’
"So, I really think that gives him an advantage and I’m curious to see if he gets some other opportunities outside of Chicago if the Bears decide to move on from him.”
Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator after Shane Waldron was fired after the team's Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots. Three weeks later, he was promoted again — this time to interim head coach — after the Bears fired Matt Eberflus following poor late-game clock management in a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Brown finished the 2024 campaign 1-4, but put a nice ribbon on what had been a disastrous season for Chicago. He coached the Bears to their first win at Lambeau Field since 2016 — a 24-22 victory on the wings of a game-winning field goal from Cairo Santos as time expired.
“I thought he was such a great example for the whole league of how difficult it is to be the CEO and the playcaller," Russini said. "When you take a look around the league and you see these successful head coaches playing in the playoffs right now, you’ve got John Harbaugh. You’ve got Dan Quinn. You’ve got Sean McDermott. None of them are calling plays. They are just being the CEO. They are just in charge of everything that happens.
"The job is so difficult — it’s all moving so quickly, any head coach would tell you that. So, I think he was already put in a really tough spot to have to do so much when that really wasn’t his role. He stepped into it and stepped up obviously, but I think he’s done a good job when he’s just focused on the play-calling. I would expect that this team brings in a head coach who’s going to want to bring in his own play-caller, someone he’s comfortable with if Thomas Brown does not in fact get that head coaching job.”
What do you make of the Bears bringing in Ron Rivera for an interview?
“Ron Rivera does bring a lot of great qualities. I can remember back to his days with Carolina, even before he took that Commanders job. I was covering Carolina a lot and I was around that locker room," Russini said. "He’s one of those head coaches that has the pulse of the locker room at all times. He’s not the loudest. He’s not an in-your-face type of leader, but he has the ability to immediately get the respect from his players.
"That is a strength — Kevin Warren saying he wants ‘a leader of men’ — Ron Rivera fits that. If that is what they are focused on, that makes all the sense in the world why they would bring someone like Ron Rivera in. Now, in terms of him having a real shot at it, I don’t think so. I think Chicago is going to be looking for one of these hotter candidates.
“I think that Ron Rivera has a lot of good qualities. He’s a veteran and he’s done this for years. [That's] without a doubt a strength that he brings, especially in these interviews because — what I’ve heard — some of these newer coaches who haven't been through this process, they’re not acing these interviews, which is pretty apparent considering how many candidates that we’re seeing — not just in Chicago — but outside of Chicago.
"You’re seeing the New York Jets do the same thing, really casting a wide net. But I think when it comes down to it, Ron Rivera was able to make a really good case, but I don’t believe that he’s a top candidate for the Chicago Bears.”
Was not bringing Mike Vrabel in for an in-person interview seen as a misstep around the NFL?
“I do. I think you have to use every advantage you possibly can, especially if you’re not playing in the playoffs and you’re interviewing a coach who doesn’t have a job," Russini said. "Mike Vrabel had the ability to get on a plane — if that’s what they wanted — and go to Chicago and sit and feel what it feels like in Halas Hall. [He could have] sat in front of Kevin Warren and sat with Ryan Poles and got to know them. They don’t know each other. There’s no connection there.
"They’ve never been together and I think that’s what the New York Jets did really well. It was important to them to bring Mike Vrabel to them in Florham Park, in the Jets facilities so he could see it and feel it and be around what the Jets organization is like. For a team like the Chicago Bears, who should be showing off what they are and the history and what it means to be a Bear, I do think that was a miss.
"But I also understand in their mind, there’s a process. The process they wanted was the first round to all be virtual, no matter what. But I do think that was definitely a disadvantage, even though a lot of people in the league believe Mike Vrabel’s heart was always in New England.”
How did the Ben Johnson interview go?
“I think they have their eyes on him. I think that they’re going to try to keep those communications with him as much as they can knowing that the Raiders are pushing hard as well," Russini said. "Tom Brady … has a very big influence in Las Vegas. I think some fans have been surprised because everyone knew he’d be a part of the Raiders, in terms of ownership [and] maybe being in the background, but that’s not the case.
"Tom Brady is all in, talking to Mark Davis — the owner — every single day. Chicago is aware of this. At this point right now, all Chicago can do is just wait as this playoff run here wraps up for Detroit, if it wraps up in the next week or so. But for them, Ben Johnson is definitely a top candidate. [Just] look at the success he’s had in this offense with Jared Goff.
"But here’s something you have to consider — you have to think about, if you’re a Bears fan and you’re set on Ben Johnson. I’ve had multiple people in the league say this to me. There is a world, a door here. Let’s say the Chicago Bears are door No. 1 and the Jacksonville Jaguars are door No. 2, the Raiders are [No.] 3. There’s a fourth door here and that fourth door is, he stays in Detroit. There is a world where he may say, ‘You know what, none of these fit for me. I don’t want to leave Detroit. I want to stick with Jared Goff. I want to stick with what we are doing here' and remain there.
"He’s taking these interviews, which is a great sign. Four interviews, I was expecting him to take only two. So the fact he’s doing more says that he’s probably more interested in getting back in there, but he only knows, really, in his heart what he wants to do next.”
Why hasn't there been much noise surrounding Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken?
“I had a general manager text me the same thing during the Ravens game. How is Todd Monken not out there more? Sometimes I think coaches talents can be hidden or excused by the greatness of their quarterback," Russini said. "It’s kind of why we never give Andy Reid coach of the year, because you’ve got 15. You’ve got Patrick Mahomes.
"I think people see Lamar Jackson and they see Derrick Henry and they go, ‘Well, they’re the greatest at what they do’ so, you don’t really have to be that great to call those plays. That’s not true because we saw Greg Roman’s offense and we see the difference with Todd Monken stepping in here now and calling [plays]. They’ve improved season over season.
"They’re in their second season with [Monken] and they’ve already been better than what they were last year, on top of the fact Lamar Jackson looks fresh and healthy. Everything has kind of gone in the right direction for Todd Monken. I don’t know the answer as to why more teams aren’t jumping in, but I could see that changing because a lot of teams are just going through these [interviews] and some organizations have not been thrilled with what they’ve seen so far. I think you’d be surprised because some of these guys are the big names that aren’t really crushing all these interviews.”
Are there any dark horse candidates you've heard being tied to the Bears?
“I haven’t heard of any — There were some college names that were floating around early on that I was interested in," Russini said. "I heard Steve Sarkisian’s name. [It] turned out to be a rumor. I heard that he was maybe interested in the job. I’m not sure if it was reciprocated. There’s a lot of chatter right now as we’re all trying to figure out what is it the Bears want?
"What exactly are they looking for outside a ‘leader of men’? But for now, the names that are out there are truly the names the Chicago Bears are going to be considering. I don’t think this is going to be a situation we could possibly see in Dallas [where] a name comes out of nowhere and we go, ‘woah! You’ve got Mike Tomlin? Wow! You traded for him?’
"There was chatter about Kevin O’Connell where teams were calling about him. I’m sure the Chicago Bears would love a Kevin O’Connell, but I don’t think Minnesota’s ever going to give that up.”
Does the ambiguity around Ryan Poles' contract situation make it more difficult for the Bears to hire their next coach?
“Most head coaches want to be aligned with the general manager. They want their contracts to run the same time. Everyone’s working the same direction,"Russini said. "Everyone’s rowing together and no one has an advantage over the other and they can kind of conduct business as a tandem because those are usually the best organizations — when the head coach and the GM work together on the same page, top to bottom.
"I don’t necessarily believe that anyone who’s been interviewing with the Chicago Bears has concerns over the future of Ryan Poles. He appears to be the guy they are sticking with … You are not allowing Ryan Poles to conduct what I think is one of the most important head coaching searches for your organization, ever, with Caleb Williams sitting right there — one of the best young quarterbacks we’ve seen with all of this talent, all of this potential.
"You’re not putting it in the hands of anyone you don’t believe in and this organization has shown they believe in Ryan Poles and his future there in Chicago by allowing him to conduct all of this. From what I’m told, he is the presence there in these meetings. They say he’s the one leading the search and [when] the Zoom starts … He is the one running this and doing a lot of the interviews and asking a lot of the questions of these head coach candidates."
Visit the WGN News Bears Coaching Tracker for the latest information on everything related to the Bears' head coaching search.