The Chicago Bears are likely to make a coaching change in the offseason and one New England Patriots coach is likely to be a candidate.
According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is one of several candidates the Bears will target to be their next head coach in the offseason.
“If they make a move, the Bears are expected to consider Tampa offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, among others, and it has been well-known throughout the industry for years how high Bears ownership is on Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who numerous NFL teams have pursued in recent years,” says La Canfora. “However, sources said that Fitzgerald, who recently signed a big extension to remain at the school he also played for, would not be interested in a jump to the Bears.”
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McDaniels Previously Served as Head Coach for Broncos
This wouldn’t be McDaniels’ first opportunity at a head coaching gig. The 45-year-old previously served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. At the time, McDaniels was the youngest head coach in the league.
During two seasons in Denver, McDaniels led the Broncos to an 11-17 record before he was fired before the conclusion of the 2010 season.
Although McDaniels has worked as an offensive coordinator/assistant ever since, he did accept the Indianapolis Colts head coaching position during the 2018 offseason. However, he withdrew from the position on the same day and decided to stay with the Patriots.
With McDaniels’ background as an offensive mastermind, he would be tasked with continuing the development of young quarterback Justin Fields. In addition, he’d face the challenge of building a Bears offense that has ranked in the top 10 in scoring just once since the 2014 season.
Would McDaniels Bolt Patriots for Bears?
Bears head coach Matt Nagy is in the midst of his fourth season and is currently 4-7. Although he’s led to Chicago to two playoff berths in the past three seasons, the fan base is unhappy with Nagy, leading to rumors that he will be let go following the season.
While Bears fans may want to see Nagy fired during the middle of the season, the Chicago franchise — in it’s 102-year history — has never fired a head coach in the middle of a season.
Following a report that Nagy would be let go following the team’s Thanksgiving game versus the Detroit Lions, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Bears chairman George McCaskey shot that rumor down.
“Where it stands with Matt Nagy before today’s game vs. Detroit: George McCaskey and Ted Phillips both told him this week’s report was a ‘complete lie,’ per sources. Nagy has not been told by anyone he’s being fired. McCaskey spoke to team Weds, and told players what he told Nagy.”
The Bears’ franchise is a dysfunctional one — especially compared to the Patriots.
Chicago has just one postseason win since the 2007 season. By comparison, the Patriots have three Super Bowl victories and six total Super Bowl appearances.
While McDaniels could very well emerge as the favorite for the Chicago head coaching gig, he’ll have to decide if it’s worth it to jump at a potential offer from the Bears. With the Patriots clearly back as a contender with a rookie quarterback in Mac Jones, the future is very bright in New England.
And considering Bill Belichick is 69 years old and could retire at any given moment, McDaniels would be the likely successor as the next head coach of the Patriots.
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