The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy after four seasons, which finds them searching for their 17th head coach in franchise history.
Bears Chairman George McCaskey will head the search for a new head coach and GM, alongside President/CEO Ted Phillips and Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian.
McCaskey, who’s ultimately in charge of making the final call, said they won’t necessarily look for an offensive or defensive guy. They’re looking for the best guy and leader for the job.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears have requested to interview Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich for their head coaching vacancy. As previously reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, they also put in a request for Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
Bears requested permission to interview both Bucs coordinators, OC Byron Leftwich and DC Todd Bowles, per league source.
So Bears interested in both Bucs coordinators and both Bills coordinators, Brian Daboll and Leslie Frazier.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 11, 2022
Leftwich has learned under one of the best in Bruce Arians and won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady. While many will be quick to point to Brady as the main reason for Tampa Bay’s success, Leftwich led a top offense with Jameis Winston back in 2019. Leftwich has called plays for the Buccaneers for the last two seasons, where he’s had a chance to build his offense. He started his coaching career with the Arizona Cardinals, where he served as quarterback coach (2017-18) and served as interim offensive coordinator (2018).
The Bears have also requested interviews with Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.
Here’s a look at the complete list of head coach and GM candidates the Bears have requested to interview:
