Jan. 16--Breathe easy. There have been no snags.
The Chicago Bears' courtship of John Fox continues to move forward with both sides pushing closer to a union. A source familiar with the interview process told the Tribune on Friday morning that Fox and the Bears are now deep into negotiations to bring the 59-year old coach to Chicago to become the franchise's 15th head coach.
The Bears coaching vacancy came open on Dec. 29, the day the organization fired both general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman. Those moves came after the Bears finished a 5-11 season and finished last in the NFC North. And while the Bears have conducted interviews with five other candidates for the head coach position over the past two weeks, their focus zeroed in on Fox earlier this week after his somewhat surprising split from the Denver Broncos.
Fox interviewed for the job at Halas Hall on Wednesday. And, according to two sources, new general manager Ryan Pace was in Denver on Thursday, presumably to continue the feeling-out process with Fox. That process apparently went well with one source indicating that a deal with Fox to join the Bears will soon be done.
David Haugh contributed.
