The Chicago Bears are on the hunt for their next defensive coordinator following Chuck Pagano’s retirement, and there have been several intriguing candidates. But none more intriguing than a former Super Bowl champion that knows a thing or two about great defenses.
Chicago has interviewed Bears legend Mike Singletary for their defensive coordinator vacancy, according to The Athletic’s Adam Jahns.
Hearing that the #Bears interviewed team legend Mike Singletary for their defensive coordinator opening earlier this week.
My @TheAthleticNFL story on Singletary here (along with more on the DC search from @kfishbain):https://t.co/4kGHkZtXya
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) January 20, 2021
Singletary played his entire 11-year career with the Bears from 1981-92. Singletary hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2016, when he served as a defensive assistant for the Los Angeles Rams.
Singletary first got his coaching start as linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens before spent several years in San Francisco, where he served as assistant head coach and linebackers coach with the 49ers from 2005-08. Singletary also served as San Francisco’s interim head coach in 2008 before being promoted to head coach from 2009-10.
Then in 2011, Singletary reunited with former teammate Leslie Frazier in Minnesota, where he served as his special assistant and coached the linebackers from 2011-13.
According to Jahns, the Bears interviewed Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon on Tuesday and James Bettcher on Monday for the defensive coordinator vacancy.
It’s also reported that defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and safeties coach Sean Desai are the favorite in-house candidates to succeed Pagano as defensive coordinator.
