Chicago Bears: Mike Singletary a candidate for Defensive Coordinator opening

The Chicago Bears opening at the Defensive Coordinator position does not appear to be an attractive job for potential candidates.

The reason for the lack of interest is because the job is essentially a death sentence. Barring a run to the Super Bowl next season, or at least, an extended run in the playoffs; it seems likely that General Manager Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy are entering their final season with the team. That means that the coordinators under Nagy likely will find themselves without a job this time next year.

Outside of internal candidates Jay Rodgers and Sean Desai, emerging potential defensive coordinators are not interested in joining a lame duck coaching staff. That likely is the reason why the Bears have yet to name a new defensive coordinator in place of the retiring Chuck Pagano.

Enter Adam Jahns of The Athletic, who provided an update on the search Wednesday afternoon:

“Iron” Mike Singletary is a candidate to be the next defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. Singletary’s place in Bears’ history is undeniable given his storied playing career and presence on the 1985 Chicago Bears. However, Mike Singletary, the coach, does not have such a storied career.

Singletary’s most recent stint as a coach in the NFL was in 2016 when he was assistant for the Los Angeles Rams defensive coaching staff. Singletary’s only head coaching stint in the NFL was with the San Francisco 49ers between 2008 and 2010. The only takeaway from Singletary’s time as a head coach was his confrontation with tight Vernon Davis in 2008 that resulted in one of the more memorable press conferences for a NFL head coach.

Singletary being a candidate for the Bears’ defensive coordinator position is just another representation of the sad state of current affairs for the organization.

The Bears are in need of a defensive coordinator that can re-ignite an once elite unit The Bears need a defensive coordinator that understands the strengths of Eddie Jackson, Robert Quinn, and Khalil Mack and develops a system based on that. That would be the reason why Rodgers and Desai are both ideal candidates.

Singletary being mentioned as a candidate for the open defensive coordinator position feels like another tone deaf token being thrown at Bears’ fans. The news has the stench of George McCaskey and Ted Phillips’ vile words last week when he confirmed that they care more about the Bears’ culture instead of winning games.

If the Bears’ leadership was truly committed to winning games, both Pace and Nagy would not still be employed by the team. Instead, culture is the determining factor for the Bears and that is why Singletary is an actual candidate for a position he has no business doing.

If the Chicago Bears’ leadership was actually intent on winning games, actual coaches would be intrigued by the opening. Instead, the joke of the 2021 Chicago Bears’ off-season continues.