NFL Insider believes the Bears' head coaching search is a 'two-horse race' but another top candidate could gain some ground over the weekend
The Chicago Bears' head coaching search has continued to heat up at a ridiculous pace since the team's season came to a close.To put things in perspective, Thursday was the first day the Bears haven't hosted an interview (either in person or virtually) in over a week.As of this post, the Bears have already completed […]
The Chicago Bears' head coaching search has continued to heat up at a ridiculous pace since the team's season came to a close.
To put things in perspective, Thursday was the first day the Bears haven't hosted an interview (either in person or virtually) in over a week.
As of this post, the Bears have already completed 11 interviews with more on the way in the coming days. And it's still only the first round of interviews.
The Bears made it clear from the beginning that the organization would leave no stone left unturned and will have an extensive process from start to finish before deciding who will become the team's next head coach.
However, based on the initial interviews held so far, NFL insiders are starting to see things narrow down in Chicago.
On Thursday, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz was on the "Herd with Colin Cowherd" show and stated that he believes the Bears' head coach search is a two-horse race.
The two candidates in that race being Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Dallas Cowboys' head coach Mike McCarthy.
Johnson has been the big name from the start for nearly every team with an opening this cycle, and he's previously expressed interest in the Bears' opening. The Bears met with Johnson on January 11th in a virtual interview during the Lions' bye week.
The Bears will not be able to speak with Johnson again until after the Lions' season concludes, which could be until after the Super Bowl saying the team makes it that far.
Johnson is clearly the crown jewel of this year's options and other teams are making it known Johnson is their top guy, the Bears are making it seem like Johnson is just one of their guys.
The sentiment right now seems to be that the Bears are favoring McCarthy in the search, but things can easily change in the coming weeks. This all started when the Bears put in a request to interview McCarthy back on January 6th while he was still under contract in Dallas. The Cowboys refused that request but then decided to part ways with McCarthy on January 13th.
Two days later, McCarthy was already meeting with the Bears. The intriguing thing here is that McCarthy's interview was held in-person after the Bears flew him out to Chicago. That carries some weight right now considering only candidates not employed by a team are permitted to be interviewed in person.
The Bears have been chasing this big fish for days now and are starting to try and reel him in. But, we'll see if Johnson's second interview sways the search party back his way. In the meantime, another candidate could join the running soon.
Brian Flores Could Gain Ground On Bears' HC Search
After revealing that it's a two-horse race in Chicago between Johnson and McCarthy, Schultz quickly added that Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator Brian Flores could still be "in that mix."
Flores is scheduled to have his first interview with the Bears on Saturday, January 18th following the Vikings' first-round exit last weekend. A strong interview this weekend could help Flores gain some ground and his connections in the building certainly gives him a leg up in the search.
Flores was college teammates with Bears' general manager Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren has plenty of notable connections still around the building from his time in Minnesota who have put in some strong reviews regarding Flores.
But, before the interview with Flores, another name needs to be put on the race track too. The Bears are also scheduled to interview Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Friday, a candidate the Bears have had on their radar for a while. So, don't rule him out just yet either.
Hopefully everyone in Chicago took a deep breath because things are going to heat back up, starting tomorrow.
