There aren't a lot of positive aspects of the 2024 Chicago Bears to talk about, but a former coach on the staff might end up being a head coach soon enough.
Former Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown continues to make a name for himself after having a successful run as the passing game coordinator for the New England Patriots this season. Brown's hard work with the Patriots could lead to a head coaching opportunity elsewhere in the NFL.
NFL reporter Cameron Wolfe reported that the Arizona Cardinals have requested to interview Brown for their head coach opening. The Cardinals just fired Jonathan Gannon after three years with the franchise.
Brown's experience with the Bears in 2024 is helping him out in a major way
Nobody had a more turbulent 2024 campaign for the Bears than Brown did. In his only season in Chicago under former head coach Matt Eberflus, he started as the passing game coordinator but moved up to offensive coordinator midway through the season after Shane Waldron was fired.
Shortly after taking over as offensive coordinator, Brown was suddenly the head coach when Eberflus was fired after the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions. Brown coached the final five games of the season and finished with a 1-4 record, with the only win coming in the final week against the Green Bay Packers.
After that run, Brown earned a ton of respect from the NFL for how he handled all the changes and still made the Bears a competitive team despite being out of the playoff hunt. That led Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel to bring Brown onto his staff.
It's been a banner year for the New England Patriots with a 14-3 record and quarterback Drake Maye looking like an MVP candidate. Brown has been a huge factor in making that happen.
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2024 was mostly a forgettable season for the Bears, but the fans in Chicago appreciate the work Brown did as the interim head coach and will root for him to keep moving up the coaching ladder.