REPORT: Chicago Bears Said To Have Interest In Top Coaching Candidate
It isn’t a secret by now that the Chicago Bears are contemplating a coaching change after the season ends. Head coach Matt Eberflus has only seven wins, the worst winning percentage of anybody in franchise history through 29 games. While he has the defense playing better of late, most of his successes have come against either rookie or backup quarterbacks. Unless things completely shift over the final five games, there is enough momentum to believe team president Kevin Warren and GM Ryan Poles might institute a change.
The obvious question is who that will be. Jim Harbaugh has been connected to the job incessantly for weeks. That is no surprise. Warren worked with the Michigan head coach for a few years as Big Ten commissioner. It’s no secret Harbaugh has coveted the Bears job for a long time. However, it appears he will have strong competition. National insider Josina Anderson revealed that the organization will strongly consider Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for the job if a change is made.
This Chicago Bears report should not be a surprise.
Let’s start with the connections. Bieniemy worked with Poles in Kansas City between 2013 and 2021. During that time, they won a Super Bowl together. The offensive coordinator went on to win another the year after Poles left. It doesn’t stop there. Bieniemy also has ties to Warren. He was running backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 2006 through 2010. The Bears’ president was in the Vikings’ front office during that entire time. So, the two most influential decision-makers in the organization have ties to him.
Then there is the track record. Bieniemy has had great success as a coordinator since getting the job in 2018. Patrick Mahomes won two league and Super Bowl MVPs under his watch in 2019 and 2022. Now, the year Bieniemy leaves for Washington, the quarterback is in the midst of his worst season with the Chiefs. At the same time, Sam Howell, a former 5th round pick, is second in the NFL in passing under the coach’s direction in Washington. Quarterback success seems to follow Bieniemy.
With the Chicago Bears drifting toward a change at the position in the 2024 draft, it makes sense they’d want a head coach who can develop one. Bieniemy’s track record speaks for itself.