One of the six head coaching vacancies is off the board right now in the NFL, and it’s not the Chicago Bears opening. The New England Patriots announced on Sunday that they are hiring Mike Vrabel to be their next head coach after Jarod Mayo lasted just one year at the helm.
In light of this news, the Bears are still competing for four other openings across the league. Despite requesting interviews with a plethora of candidates so far, a new option could be available for Chicago to talk to as soon as this week.
Mike McCarthy might become a free agent this week
In a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy can talk to other teams for job openings as soon as after midnight on Tuesday, which is trending toward being a realistic possibility.
“With Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy eligible to talk to other teams after midnight Tuesday, there still haven’t been any negotiations on a new deal with Dallas, per sources, Schefter wrote on X. It’s now looking like McCarthy will indeed become a coaching free agent, with Chicago and New Orleans both expected to be interested in speaking with him.”
The Bears have requested to speak with McCarthy already this offseason, but the Cowboys declined the notion last week. However, there is nothing Dallas can do to stop McCarthy from talking to other organizations if a deal can’t be negotiated by the Tuesday at midnight window.
Chicago has lost out on Vrabel and might be in trouble of not getting Ben Johnson either based on recent reports. If the team strikes out on both premier candidates, McCarthy might have to be the guy that they turn to. The former Super Bowl-winning head coach would be thrust into competition with candidates like Brian Flores, Aaron Glenn, Anthony Weaver, Todd Monken and others.
The Chicago Bears could use someone like Mike McCarthy
McCarthy has a winning pedigree across the league that the Bears would surely love to have in their building. Chicago has seen the 61-year-old plenty of times in his coaching career, as he led the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018.
As an offensive mind, McCarthy has worked with a few successful quarterbacks in his time as an NFL head coach. In Green Bay, he got the luxury of having Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers lead his offenses. Rodgers and he won a Super Bowl together in 2010 over the Steelers in a season where the team finished 10-6.
In his time with Dallas, Dak Prescott has been the primary signal caller. The veteran has been able to carve out a nice role as the successor to Tony Romo and earned himself a nice contract in the process. The biggest issue for Prescott and McCarthy in the lone star state is that they haven’t gotten over the hump like McCarthy did in Green Bay.
Caleb Williams could benefit from having an experienced offensive mind like McCarthy as his head coach. The stability with McCarthy would be there and Williams would not have to worry about learning a new offensive system anytime soon. This would allow Williams to grow as he prepares for his second NFL season with a playcaller who has been around the block and has had plenty of success in the league.
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