Bears Interviewing Opposing Coach Who Torched Them During Blowout 2024 Loss

With the 2024 regular season in the rearview mirror, the Chicago Bears can turn their attention to the coaching carousel as they search for their next head coach. The Bears have been linked to multiple candidates such as Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, and Pete Carroll, who could be considered upgrades over Matt Eberflus.

Chicago fired Eberflus a day after their Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions. On Sunday, we found the Bears would interview interim head coach Thomas Brown for the vacancy, which wasn’t a surprise given he took over Eberflus.

However, the Bears added a surprise name to their coaching list on Monday. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Chicago has requested to speak with Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing for their head coaching gig.

After spending the previous three seasons with the Cleveland Browns in various roles (tight ends and quarterbacks), Petzing has been Arizona’s offensive coordinator for the last two seasons. 

Chicago fans are somewhat familiar with Petzing, as the Cards’ ground attack ran all over the Bears’ defense for 213 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-9 blowout loss. Overall, Arizona’s offense finished the season ranked seventh in rushing (144.2 yards per game), 18th in passing (214.1 yards per game), and 12th in scoring (23.5 points per game).

When you compare the Cardinals’ offensive stats to what the Bears have done this season, you can see why Chicago’s leadership would be interested in speaking with Petzing. 

Nonetheless, with Johnson being one of the top offensive head coaching candidates this year, you must believe Chicago will make a full-court press for the Lions offensive coordinator. However, it does not hurt to look at the entire landscape to see what other coaches have to offer and how they look at the Bears' situation heading into 2025.

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