Bears mutual interest in meeting with Mike McCarthy can officially be set in motion after the pairing initially seemed to be unlikely
Just a few day ago, the potential pairing of head coach Mike McCarthy and the Chicago Bears seemed to be a foregone thought after the Dallas Cowboys blocked the Bears request to interview their head coach under contract.Well, McCarthy is no longer under contract with Dallas. According to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the Cowboys and […]
Just a few day ago, the potential pairing of head coach Mike McCarthy and the Chicago Bears seemed to be a foregone thought after the Dallas Cowboys blocked the Bears request to interview their head coach under contract.
Well, McCarthy is no longer under contract with Dallas. According to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the Cowboys and McCarthy will in fact be parting ways due to a disagreement on the length of a new contract.
McCarthy's contract with the team was set to expire on Tuesday and after blocking the Bears' interview request, it seemed like McCarthy and the Cowboys would iron out a new extension keep him in Dallas. Not anymore.
Now that McCarthy is out in Dallas, the Bears have full power to speak with the former Super Bowl winning head coach to see if he would be interested in their head coach opening.
McCarthy would be the perfect fit for the Bears given his winning track record and ability to develop young quarterbacks. Having a mentor/coach like McCarthy would be huge for quarterback Caleb Williams going into the next phase of his career.
During his five seasons in Dallas, McCarthy led the Cowboys to a 49-35 regular-season record but was 1-3 in the playoffs. Even during a down year in 2024, the players still openly vouched for McCarthy, including quarterback Dak Prescott.
"I believe in him wholeheartedly… Your coach seems like he's playing on his last contract and [I'm] almost feeling helpless like I can't help him in this situation, especially a guy you believe in so much and you believe in being your head coach," Prescott said in early December. "Control what I can control, help and support Mike to every extent that I can."
Now that he's available to any team with a head coaching opening, the Bears won't be the only team lining up to speak with McCarthy in the coming days. ESPN's Adam Schefter added that McCarthy is also expected to be a candidate for the New Orleans Saints' vacant head coach position.
NFL Insider Albert Breer also added that McCarthy will be changing agents and has hired Don Yee to represent him in this rare coaching free agent venture.
Compared to the Saints, the Bears offer a much more ideal landing spot for McCarthy to find immediate success with a new team. The Bears have a much cleaner cap, plenty of draft assets, and an established young roster along with a franchise quarterback already in the building.
It's a no-brainer for the Bears to go after this kind of guy in their coaching search. We'll see how soon the Bears can line up an interview with him. Hopefully before the Saints can get him on the phone first.
