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Bears Officially Reach Out to Rival About Poaching Their Coach

As the NFL offseason begins, the Chicago Bears are already attempting to poach an old rival for their vacant head coaching position.

By Devon Platana

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks during a press conference at Halas Hall.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks during a press conference at Halas Hall. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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The NFL playoffs are finally here and the Chicago Bears will, once again, be on the outside looking in this winter.

The Bears will experience another early offseason after going 5-12 during the 2024 campaign — good for last place in the NFC North for the second time in three years. It's safe to say that general manager Ryan Poles has a lot of work to do in the coming months, however, nothing is more important on his "to-do" list than hiring a new head coach.

After the Matt Eberflus experiment was a bust and interim coach Thomas Brown didn't fare any better, Bears fans are interested to see who the organization is eyeing next. Even though the offseason is still young, it looks like Chicago is already reaching out to an old rival for help.

Bears Reportedly Request Interview with Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy

"Chicago Bears have sought permission to interview Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and are awaiting a response from Dallas," NFL insiders Adam Schefter and Todd Archer reported on Monday.

The Cowboys could reject the interview request, but that might not matter much. Their "exclusive negotiating window" expires on Tuesday, Jan. 14, meaning the Bears will be free to negotiate with the 61-year-old head coach without permission in just over a week.

Assuming he doesn't re-sign with the Cowboys, McCarthy will be a popular target for any NFL team that's without a head coach. Even if the 2024 campaign was far from his best, the Pittsburgh, PA native has paid his dues by tallying a 185-123-2 record between the regular season and playoffs while winning a Super Bowl ring along the way.

Having said that, a potential McCarthy hiring would likely stir up some mixed feelings in the Windy City.

The former Green Bay Packers head coach spent 13 seasons terrorizing the NFC North, amassing a 125-77-2 record (61.8%) along the way. Including his runs with the Packers and Cowboys, McCarthy owns a 19-7 all-time record against the Bears, most recently notching a 49-29 win against the latter at AT&T Stadium back in October 2022.

Even if McCarthy isn't beloved by Bears fans, that would quickly change if he helped turn the franchise around. Chicago hasn't tasted playoff football since 2020 and even if his run in Dallas was far from perfect, the Cowboys still qualified for three of the last four postseasons under his watch.

Interestingly enough, the Cowboys are already confirmed to be one of the Bears' 2025 opponents. It's almost as if McCarthy was meant to be hired in Chicago at this point.

At the end of the day, it's still extremely early in the Bears' coaching search and things can quickly change in the coming weeks, if not days. More will be revealed about McCarthy's potential hiring depending on the Cowboys' decision regarding the Bears' interview request.

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