Who are the Chicago Bears interviewing for head coach? (live updates)

The hunt is on for a new head coach and general manager. Bill Polian seems to be pulling the strings up at Halas Hall. That at least makes me feel better than the idea of George McCaskey and Ted Phillips calling the shots. The problem is, we saw something similar with Ernie Arccasi in the past when the team consulted him and ended up hiring Ryan Pace. We saw how that worked out.

Bill Polian has a great history of success when hiring coaches though. He hired coaches like Marv Levy, Dom Capers, Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell. He knows everyone and despite his age and stupid comments such as Lamar Jackson is too small to be a quarterback and must be a wide receiver, he is a great choice to help bring in the next general manager and head coach for the Chicago Bears.

Bill Polian will be the driving force of the head coach search of the Chicago Bears

The search is heating up as the Chicago Bears have requested to interview the following people to be the next head coach of this team:

Brian Daboll, Offensive Coordinator – Buffalo Bills

The Chicago Bears will be interviewing one of my top-five candidates in Brian Daboll. He is currently number two on my shortlist behind only Jim Harbaugh (and Sean Payton). This would be a great pairing for Justin Fields in my opinion. Fields is more of a pocket quarterback than people like to admit, but he also knows how to use his legs. This should be a no-brainer pairing.

Byron Leftwich, Offensive Coordinator – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Byron Leftwich is a notable mention of mine. He has been on and off my top-five list multiple times this season. We have to try and separate Leftwich from Bruce Arians and Tom Brady. He had great success on offense with one year of Jameis Winston to help with that. I would have no problem with Leftwich as the next Chicago Bears head coach.

Todd Bowles, Defensive Coordinator – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On the flip side of the ball, we have Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay. Bowles is a prior head coach of the New York Jets and has been one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. Although he did not have success with the Jets, it is possible that could be a different story here with a strong offensive coordinator hire here in Chicago. Bowles isn’t on my shortlist, but he is a notable mention.

Who else have the Chicago Bears requested interviews with? This is a long list as it continues next.

The list of head coach interview requests keeps growing for the Chicago Bears

We expect this list to be quite substantial, but we also believe the process will go rather quickly and we could see a new general manager in place by next week and a head coach in place within two weeks.

Matt Eberflus, Defensive Coordinator – Indianapolis Colts

Another guy on the defensive side of things is Matt Eberflus. Eberflus has helped build a dominant defense down in Indianapolis. I’m not sold on a defensive-minded coach here in Chicago, but Eberflus would be toward the top of that list. He could make for a great pairing with Ed Dodds as general manager too.

Leslie Frazier, Defensive Coordinator – Buffalo Bills

Another Buffalo Bills coach the Chicago Bears have requested to interview is Leslie Frazier. Frazier is one coach I do not want to see here in Chicago. Give me Todd Bowles or Matt Eberflus over him if they truly want a defensive-minded head coach. Hell, I’d take Vic Fangio back as head coach over Leslie Frazier too.

The list keeps going. Don’t stop now, check out these other names on the Chicago Bears interview request list.

More names on the Chicago Bears head coach interview list

As we said, the list just keeps growing. The Chicago Bears are now looking to interview and maybe steal a name from their NFC North rivals. It seems like every time I put my phone down there is a report naming another coaching candidate who has been requested to interview with our beloved Bears. I do appreciate the due diligence but would prefer they hire a general manager first — unless there were prior talks about the GM/HC pairing between both parties involved which is possible through backchanneling.

Nathaniel Hackett, Offensive Coordinator – Green Bay Packers

Part of me loves the idea of stealing a guy that Aaron Rodgers has spoken highly of up in Green Bay. I’m not a fan of Rodgers’ off-the-field nonsense, but I do respect his on-the-field play. Nathaniel Hackett has been working under the tutelage of Matt LaFleur — a guy who was on my shortlist when the team hired Matt Nagy in 2018. Hackett didn’t make my top-five list or my notable mentions though. He hasn’t had much success without Rodgers.

Dan Quinn, Defensive Coordinator – Dallas Cowboys

I did not have Dan Quinn on my shortlist. I instead had his counterpart on offense, Kellen Moore on that list. Dan Quinn is one of the hotter names mentioned in the head coaching carousel. He had previous success in Atlanta until the 2020 season when the Falcons started 0-5 and Quinn was fired. The Cowboys’ defense has been superb this year though as he took over those duties this season. He was also a successful defensive coordinator in Seattle before his stint in Atlanta.

The list keeps growing as the Chicago Bears request to interview more coaches

We knew the list was going to be a long one, but the Chicago Bears seem to be the most active when it comes to head coaching interview requests. This team is clearly doing their part to make sure no stone is left unturned. Welcome to the front office, Mr. Polian.

Doug Pederson – No Team or Position

You all remember Doug Pederson, right? He was the Super Bowl-winning head coach of the Eagles back in 2017. How quickly these guys fall off. He wasn’t a coach in 2021, as the Eagles fired him after a 4-11 season. The team imploded, but prior to that year, he led the Eagles to two 9-7 seasons along with the 13-3 Super Bowl year. His first year the Eagles went 7-9 on the year. He is 42-37 for his career and has three playoff appearances, four playoff wins and a Super Bowl victory. Some fear bringing him in thinking he is too similar to Matt Nagy.

Brian Flores, Head Coach – Miami Dolphins

The title should probably read “former” head coach of the Miami Dolphins. This was a bit of a shock to many as Brian Flores was coming off two winning seasons with the Dolphins. The problem is they fell short of the playoffs both times. Flores comes from the Bill Belichick tree and was proving to be a solid head coach in Miami.

Flores is a name I have on my notable mentions and honestly should be on my shortlist. I’d love him here in Chicago after I hear his explanation of what happened in Miami.

Check back for more updates soon! We will update this as soon as we can. Let’s hope the team hires the right head coach. Who on this list are you most excited about?