The Bears are in the middle of their head coach and general manager search after firing Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace last week, where they’ve still got some interviews left on the docket.
They’ve lined up a slew of coaching candidates ranging from offensive to defensive guys to former head coaches. But chairman George McCaskey made it clear they’re looking for a leader, not a specific offensive or defensive coach.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson have emerged as the current favorites in Chicago’s coaching search. All three are former head coaches.
It’s interesting to note that Caldwell turned down interview requests with both the Raiders and Vikings, according to Graziano, which indicates he could be holding out for the Bears job.
According to multiple sources, the Raiders and Vikings both reached out to former Colts and Lions coach Jim Caldwell this week to request to interview him, and he declined both requests. This indicates strongly that Caldwell believes he will get one of the other open jobs, and my understanding is that he’s in the mix in both Chicago and Jacksonville and already is reaching out to candidates for his staff.
If I had to bet right now, I’d say Caldwell ends up in Chicago, where former Colts general manager Bill Polian is helping direct the search, though it’s obviously interesting that Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is scheduled for a second interview there.
Graziano also mentioned Frazier and Pederson are names to watch with the Bears.
The Bears were interviewing Bills defensive coordinator and former Vikings coach Leslie Frazier on Friday, and I’m told there’s still support for Frazier in their building. Former Eagles coach Doug Pederson is also someone to watch in Chicago if Caldwell doesn’t turn out to be its guy.
The Bears have already requested a second interview with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who is now a finalist for the job. It’ll be interesting to see who else garners another look…once Chicago is done with their first round of interviews.
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