It's a big day for people who love talking about the Bears' "brand" of football.
For a while, things were looking pretty scary in Chicago. The Bears were heavily rumored to be frontrunners for Lions' offensive guru (gasp!) Ben Johnson, and there were even whispers that they were open to a modern scheme for Caleb Williams. Downfield passing? In Chicago? That'd be a cold day in hell.
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Luckily, like always, Jerry Jones saved the day. After sitting on their hands for two weeks, absolutely trashing everyone's leverage in the process, the Cowboys and McCarthy decided to part ways on Monday morning. NFL Insider Tom Pelissero broke the news, reporting that the two sides ultimately couldn't come to an agreement on the length of any potential contract extension. Now McCarthy officially becomes a free agent.
Cowboys paved the way for Bears to hire Mike McCarthy, if that's what they want to do
Sources: Mike McCarthy is out as #Cowboys coach.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 13, 2025
The sides couldn’t agree on length of contract and McCarthy will pursue other opportunities. He leaves Dallas with a winning record and three playoff appearances. pic.twitter.com/MJzWvUlfjU
This obviously is great news for the 150 people at Halas Hall in charge of hiring the Bears' next coach. Mike McCarthy isn't exactly reinventing the wheel, but he does bring plenty of upside that would be well-received in Chicago. Hiring him still feels like it'd be a backup plan once Ben Johnson goes to the Raiders or Jaguars, but there are certainly worse backup options than McCarthy.
At the risk of ruining the good vibes by even mentioning this, it kinda feels like everything's coming up Bears right now? Ben Johnson's still very much in play, but now even the Bears' backup options are too? There is, of course, always time for George McCaskey to ruin things. McCarthy is only now available because a Jerry Jones misplayed his hand, which proves that with NFL owners messing things up, when there's a will, there's a way.
So the real takeaway from this news is that the Bears have options. It's not a bad spot to be in. If you can't have, you know, playoff games, having coaching options is a nice participation trophy. The Bears might be back.