Pat Shurmur should be a top choice for the Chicago Bears

There are many candidates to replace John Fox as head coach of the Chicago Bears, but Pat Shurmur should be at the top of the list.

On Monday, the Chicago Bears made the announcement that John Fox had been relieved of his duties. After going 14-34 and making a lot of questionable decisions, a change was needed. Now general manager Ryan Pace, who was given an extension to tie him with the next head coach, will undergo many interviews to determine who is best suited to become the 16th head coach of the Chicago Bears.

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

While teams and fans will try to find the next Sean McVay, I will take a different approach. It’s not easy finding a young head coach that has the success McVay has. Also, it’s even rarer for a young coach that takes the league by storm to repeat that success the following season. That’s why the Chicago Bears should take a different route.

Enter Pat Shurmur.

Shurmur has been a coach in the NFL for 15 seasons. He is currently the offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, who has helped guide undrafted quarterback Case Keenum on a Vikings team that just locked up the two seed. You’d also think that losing running back Dalvin Cook would cripple the offense, but Shurmur has masterfully used Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray.

Shurmur originally was brought in under Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles. in 2009, he helped quarterback Sam Bradford become the rookie of the year as a member of the St. Louis Rams. Shurmur was hired as a head coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2011. He spent two seasons there compiling a 9-23 record, which is pretty good for the Browns.

Pat Shurmur was 9-23 in two seasons with the Browns. In hindsight, that’s statue-worthy.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 1, 2018