Coach Who Could Be Fired After Week 18 Linked to Bears Job

The Chicago Bears will begin their head coaching search after the final whistle in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Green Bay Packers. 

The Bears will have no shortage of potential options for their vacancy as multiple candidates like Ben Johnson, Mike Vrabel, and Pete Carroll have been mentioned over the last weeks. Chicago will likely interview those three candidates, but another coaching candidate could join the fray.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, he’s talked to multiple people who believe Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy could set his sights on Chicago if Dallas doesn’t bring him back.

"Pete Carroll might not be the only Super Bowl-winning coach vying for the Bears job. I've talked to multiple people who believe McCarthy -- should he leave Dallas -- could set his sights on Chicago. He would give the Bears much-needed experience and offensive acumen. Despite his rocky tenure in Dallas, McCarthy would stack up well if parachuting into this candidate pool and provide leadership. He turned 61 in November but seems to have the energy for the job. He's quite familiar with NFC North football, too. This might not graduate from a working theory stage, but enough people have mentioned the scenario to make it worth mentioning here."

The Cowboys entered the 2024 season with McCarthy as a lame duck. After a frustrating end to the 2023 season, the 61-year-old head coach was looking to get Dallas back on track.

Dallas has had unfortunate bad luck between injuries and poor play this season, leading to a dismal 7-9 record heading into the regular-season finale. 

Regardless of the result on Sunday, McCarthy will end his Cowboys’ career with a losing record, which hasn’t happened since 2020 (6-10) – his first year in Dallas.

That being said, McCarty has had a lot of regular-season success in Dallas, but not much in the postseason. However, it still makes him a solid coaching candidate for the Bears or another team.

The idea of the Bears hiring McCarthy won’t move the needle in the Windy City, especially with Ben Johnson out there and Chicago seeing how he’s transformed Detroit’s offense over the last couple of years.

Nonetheless, the Bears' leadership must do its due diligence on their next head coaching hire. They do not want to be in this spot again three years from now.

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