After a disastrous season, the Chicago Bears are again looking for a new coach. After the firing of Matt Eberflus, General Manager Ryan Poles has been under scrutiny, and many fans are calling for his job. It’s fair to say they have a good reason.
Poles left Eberflus on the hook for a season too long and created a mess out of what was supposed to be the Bears’ coming-out party. Poles’ roster construction has been scrutinized because he neglected the offensive line, and Caleb Williams was the most sacked QB in the league by a wide margin. With the Bears “committed” to Ryan Poles heading into 2024, all eyes have been on who he deems fit to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.
While it is true that many teams can’t interview some of the top candidates in person yet because of the playoffs, Bears’ current list of candidates does not bode well for the once-storied franchise. Here’s a look at some of the candidates:
#DaBears Coaching Candidates seem to be finalized at this point.
Ben Johnson appears to be the overwhelming favourite for the Job. However, if not Ben Johnson, who would you want as #DaBears Head Coach pic.twitter.com/nBtASss9Tg
— Irish Bears Network (@IrishBearsShow) January 8, 2025
There are some excellent candidates up there, such as Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, and Mike Vrabel, but there are some very questionable candidates.
Drew Petzing(Arizona Cardinals Offensive Coordinator)
My first questionable candidate is current Cardinals OC Drew Petzing. Petzing was hired alongside Jonathon Gannon last season and has not been imposing. Over the previous 34 games, his offense has scored over 30 points twice. He also didn’t seem to play into Marvin Harrison Jr’s strength much, and the rookie was underwhelming.
Lastly, if you watch even just a couple of Cardinals games, you can see the flaws in his playcalling. Petzing falls into the unfortunate growing category of coaches addicted to screens. The success of guys like Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel has every offensive coordinator trying to replicate their yards after catch success. The problem is, most guys, including Drew Petzing, don’t know how to call those plays like Kyle Shanahan or Sean Mcvay do. Petzing would do no better than Thomas Brown, and I guarantee this team would look the same, if not worse, with Drew Petzing at the helm.
Mike Kafka(New York Giants Offensive Coordinator)
This candidate poses the most questions for the Bears’ hiring process. I have to ask: what is it about Kafka’s 31st-ranked, 16.1-points-per-game offense that excites Ryan Poles? Poles and Kafka have a connection from Kansas City and have a great relationship. That’s great, but is he a good football coach? His current track record doesn’t look good, especially considering he is partially responsible for the failure of Daniel Jones. The fact that the Bears interviewed Kafka makes many fans nervous, and it should. He is not the right fit for the Bears, and the fact the interview even happened is questionable.
Arthur Smith(Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator)
The former Falcons coach was named on the list of candidates, but I’m not very high on him. Credit where it’s due; his 2 years as Titans’ Offensive Coordinator were highly successful. However, his head coach resume is not stellar. Three straight 7-10 seasons alongside heavily underutilizing guys like Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson. Smith is the best of the worst, but there are multiple candidates whom I would trust to develop this team more. Smith may be the guy somewhere else someday, but Chicago is not his next destination.
Mike McCarthy(Dallas Cowboys Head Coach)
The Bears recently requested to interview Mike McCarthy, but the Cowboys left them on read. Whether the interview was to happen or not, I don’t understand why the Bears are interested in a coach who will probably be fired in the next couple of years.
While McCarthy is great in the regular season, his postseason blunders are something Chicago should avoid. Let’s not forget he only won a single Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers. A single Super Bowl would be huge in Chicago, but you must consider longevity. With a talent like Caleb Williams, the sky is the limit. That limit is capped off with McCarthy at the helm. McCarthy may bring the Bears back to some relevancy, but he won’t bring everything the organization wants when it’s all set and done.
Who should the Bears be focused on?
There are a few good candidates, but there are two great candidates: Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel. Johnson conducted an interview Saturday Morning, while Vrabel did so earlier this week. Both are an excellent fit in Chicago. I would argue that Johnson is the better candidate because he can develop Caleb more than Vrabel. That said, Vrabel is the leader the organization is looking for. Either one of these guys will have tremendous upside with some flaws(like any candidate). If the Bears want to be different in the future, they need Ben Johnson or Mike Vrabel.
Mason Wood is a Writer, Football Director, and Editor in Chief for Back Sports Page. Based out of Gilbert, Arizona, Mason mainly works on football and motorsports content while working on other sports, such as Basketball, WWE, and Esports. He was a co-host of BSP motorsports podcast Coming to the Line. You can check out more articles by Mason Wood here!
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