The Chicago Bears’ coaching staff has had a lot of turnover over the past several seasons. The head coaching position has drawn most of the attention and has its latest chapter when Ben Johnson replaced Matt Eberflus and interim head coach Thomas Brown last January. But there are also several coaches that were swept out with Johnson’s arrival.
With the size of today’s coaching staffs it’s easy for someone to land back on their feet. But a former Bears coach that preceded both Eberflus and Johnson has had trouble getting another opportunity in the NFL and still doesn’t have a job as training camp rolls on.
Former Bears QB Coach John DeFilippo is Still Out of the NFL
It wasn’t long ago that John DeFilippo was one of the hottest coaching candidates in the NFL. But his fall from grace that ended in Chicago has kept him out of the league for each of the past two seasons and could lead to a third with this year approaching.
DeFilippo broke into the NFL as an offensive quality control coach with the New York Giants in 2005 and has made several stops in his career. While he served in roles with the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets in the early 2000s, he got his big break when he was hired by the Cleveland Browns as offensive coordinator in 2015.
His lone season with the Browns didn’t go well, as Cleveland ranked 28th in yardage and 32nd in points, but he quickly landed back on his feet to win a Super Bowl ring as the quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Credited for helping develop Carson Wentz and aiding Nick Foles’s surprising playoff run, DeFilippo became the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, but that also lasted just one season due to his poor relationship with head coach Mike Zimmer.
DeFilippo had another failed stint as offensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 but was added to Matt Nagy’s staff to aid Mitchell Trubisky in 2020. While Trubisky threw for 2,055 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 10 games, it wasn’t enough to keep Chicago from drafting Justin Fields the following season.
One season later, DeFilippo announced that he was stepping away from the NFL and has since coached in independent leagues. He was the head coach of the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers in 2022, leading them to a 7-3 record, and spent the 2024 season leading the Memphis Showboats to a 2-8 record in the United Football League.
Because DeFilippo’s departure appeared to be voluntary, he may just be done with coaching in the NFL. But at age 46, it’s not inconceivable that some team would want to add him to their staff in the future. For now, DiFilippo is on the outside of the NFL, but it’s not clear whether he’s looking in.