Chicago Bears are finally starting to get some competition for one of their top head coaching candidates
The NFL coaching cycle is expected to move quickly this weekend with multiple vacancies expected to be filled in the coming days.Multiple teams have already started lining up second interviews with potential top targets and offers will be soon to follow.The Chicago Bears have conducted an extensive search so far, but it's time to get […]
The NFL coaching cycle is expected to move quickly this weekend with multiple vacancies expected to be filled in the coming days.
Multiple teams have already started lining up second interviews with potential top targets and offers will be soon to follow.
The Chicago Bears have conducted an extensive search so far, but it's time to get the ball rolling a little bit. The Bears have had a total of 17 interviews during the first round, including a few that took place in-person at Halas Hall.
As of right now, no second interviews have been scheduled and the Bears are starting to lose some ground to other teams. The Bears' search is reportedly a "two-horse race" according to Jordan Schutz between Ben Johnson and Mike McCarthy.
Johnson's name has also been closely connected with the Las Vegas Raiders' open head coach position and the Raiders are pushing hard to get him. Vegas could even go as far as hiring a general manager who is closely connected with Johnson to land the top candidate. It's believed that Johnson is expected to meet again with the Bears, Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars before making a decision.
As for McCarthy, the Bears seemed to be in the pole position for the former Dallas Cowboys' head coach after flying him out to Chicago and having dinner with him, something the team did not do with other in-person candidates such as Ron Rivera and Pete Carroll. So, clearly the organization is very interested in him.
And now another team is as well. According to Nick Underhill, who has a strong connection to New Orleans, the Saints are setting up an in-person interview with McCarthy this week. Albert Breer added the team is also hoping to have Aaron Glenn, Mike Kafka, Anthony Weaver, Joe Brady, Kellen Moore, and Darren Rizzi back for in-person interviews.
Earlier today, Schefter added on "The Pat McAfee Show" that McCarthy is "a legitimate" candidate for both Chicago and New Orleans.
It certainly sounds like things are heating up quick in New Orleans and the team could narrow it down to one option by the end of those interviews.
This puts even more pressure on the Bears to start getting things lined up with some of their top candidates before they potentially lose out on McCarthy and Johnson.
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