The Bears will have a major vacancy on their coaching staff after defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano decided to retire, a source said.
Defensive coordinator is an incredibly important hire for the Bears. Under offensive-minded head coach Matt Nagy, that position has been autonomous. Hiring a new coordinator could also mean significant turnover among position coaches.
The Bears’ season ended with uncertainty about Pagano’s future anyway because of how the defense dropped off under him following a dominant 2018 with Vic Fangio as coordinator.
The Bears allowed the fewest points in the NFL (17.7) in 2018, then gave up 18.6 in Pagano’s first season and 23.1 this season. They also went from a league-best 36 takeaways under Fangio to a total of 37 over two seasons with Pagano. The pass rush declined similarly, from 50 sacks in 2018 to 32 and 35 the last two seasons.
The Bears had a franchise-worst streak of seven consecutive opposing quarterbacks post a 100-plus passer rating against them this season, and the defense’s cumulative 94.8 opponent passer rating was a sharp spike from 85.2 last season and an NFL-best 72.9 in 2018.
Pagano certainly bears responsibility since it happened on his watch, but the Bears also sustained personnel losses and decline. Pro Bowl defensive lineman Eddie Goldman opted out at the beginning, general manager Ryan Pace’s big free agent pickup Robert Quinn was ineffective and inside linebacker Danny Trevathan had a choppy season at 30.
For all the issues defensively, offense continued to be the bigger problem for the Bears. In Pagano’s two seasons, the team lost five games in which the defense allowed fewer than 20 points.
Pagano, 60, came to the Bears after being head coach of the Colts from 2012 through ‘17 and defensive coordinator for the 2011 Ravens. He has been on major college football or NFL staffs since 1984.
