The expectation for awhile has been that Bears head coach Matt Nagy will be fired at the end of the season, which is far from a surprise considering his tumultuous career over the last three seasons.
But a new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport indicates that the Bears might just buck the trend of never firing a head coach in-season.
Rapoport said it’s becoming “clearer and clearer” that the Bears are heading for a coaching change in 2022. And while there’s no firm decision made yet, Nagy’s future is very much “in doubt.”
Rapoport specifically mentioned the significance of things considering a new NFL rule where football clubs can interview head coaching candidates in the final two weeks of the regular season.
What’s interesting is that Rapoport seemed to indicate that a move could potentially come Monday if the losses continue to mount.
“If the Bears want to get a jump on a potential search, news could be coming Monday if they, in fact, lose,” Rapoport said this morning on NFL Game Day.
From @NFLGameDay: The #Bears coaching picture is becoming clearer as the losses mount for Matt Nagy, while the #Jaguars have interest in interviewing ex-HCs Doug Pederson and Jim Caldwell for their vacant job. pic.twitter.com/DLTe5ZALxe
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 26, 2021
The Bears could certainly benefit from firing Nagy in-season, which extends beyond getting a head start on a coaching search.
Some of Nagy’s decisions aren’t indicative of a guy sticking around past this season, including deciding to start Germain Ifedi at right tackle over rookie Larry Borom and his handling of Justin Fields.
