NFL analyst hints Bears may regret how they handled firing Matt Eberflus

No one had a problem with the Chicago Bears finally handing Matt Eberflus his walking papers after a disappointing 4-8 start to a 2024 season that was supposed to be filled with hope and optimism. The problem was how the Bears handled the firing of Eberflus, who held a press conference the morning after the Bears' loss to the Lions.

While Eberflus hadn't been given any confirmation that he'd be the Bears' head coach past this season, he was led to believe that his job was safe for the time being. Well, two hours later, the Bears front office decided they'd had enough and officially relieved Eberflus of his duties. This was an embarrassing way for this situation to be handled and make no mistake, it will impact Chicago's head coaching search.

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Carmen Vitali of FOX Sports put the Bears on blast when discussing the situation on the NFL on FOX podcast. Vitali noted that the pool of head coach candidates Chicago will have to pick from could be impacted by this misstep. Vitali points out that when the Bears' inability to "even get the firing right" is "the mark of a very dysfunctional organization" and she's not wrong.

Vitali continued by stating that this mishandling of Eberflus' termination will impact Chicago's head coach search. "If you think that this doesn't just raise alarm bells across the league, this could very well -- not to be dramatic -- but this could very well affect the pool of candidates that you now are able to pick from."

Vitali then reiterates that Eberflus needed to be fired but asks, "Is that the way it needed to be handled? Is this the way this organization works? And the answer is yes because this is a pattern now." She then points out how this is the third in a row where the Bears drafted a quarterback in the first round and then fired the head coach one year in.

Bears' mishandling of Matt Eberflus firing could cost them

The top candidate for not just the Bears but most teams searching for a new head coach this offseason will be Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who has already said that he's comfortable waiting around for the right job to open up. The Bears, of course, would love to pair Caleb Williams with Johnson, who has done wonders for Jared Goff and the Lions offense in Detroit.

Unfortunately, if what Vitali is saying is true, Johnson might not see the Bears as an ideal landing spot due to how the organization handled (or mishandled) the firing of Eberflus. Bears fans hope that Johnson will look at the talent the Bears have and strongly consider becoming their next head coach but these reports are certainly something to keep in mind this offseason when Chicago is finding its next coach.