Are the Chicago Bears wasting their time interviewing so many head coach candidates?

The Chicago Bears have an ever-growing list of head coaching candidates that they plan to interview in the coming days. It begs the question: are they wasting their time?

Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears' list of interview requests for their vacant head coaching position is beginning to grow to a laughable size.

Check out who's on the not-so-short list to meet with GM Ryan Poles and the Bears' brass:

Ben Johnson, OC, Lions
Aaron Glenn, DC, Lions
Drew Petzing, OC, Cardinals
Anthony Weaver, DC, Dolphins
Vance Joseph, DC, Broncos
Mike Vrabel, former HC, Titans
Thomas Brown, interim HC, Bears
Todd Monken, OC, Ravens
Mike McCarthy, HC, Cowboys
Brian Flores, DC, Vikings
Arthur Smith, OC, Steelers
Mike Kafka, OC, Giants
David Shaw, Executive, Broncos
Joe Brady, OC, Bills

Whew. That was exhausting.

That's 14 candidates --14!! And there's a good chance a name or two who's been mentioned by some NFL insider somewhere isn't on there.

It's an excessive number of interviews for a job that, in reality, should only be in play for two or three guys: Vrabel, Johnson, and maybe McCarthy. Sure, other offensive coordinators on the Bears' list have exciting resumes, but they also have really good quarterbacks who can turn a bad play call into a touchdown.

Do we really think Joe Brady is a genius? Or has he just been gifted Josh Allen? Same goes for Todd Monken. It's hard to call a bad play when Lamar Jackson has the ball in his hands.

Vrabel won with Ryan Tannehill. Johnson has turned Jared Goff into an MVP candidate. And McCarthy has proven he can still be a winner even after benefiting from two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Green Bay.

Bears becoming a punchline again for talking heads

Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd opined on this topic during a segment of 'The Herd' on Tuesday. Check it out:

.@ColinCowherd calls Chicago Bears' reported interview requests an unserious list:

"Get to it, it's the prom. Either get to it or she's dancing with somebody else." pic.twitter.com/6RgZSzWFf0

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 7, 2025

Kudos to Cowherd for speaking the truth. The Bears look like a circus sideshow right now, and if they want to attract a quality head coach, they need to pivot (quickly) how they're approaching their search. It's one thing to cast a wide net; it's another to look like you don't know what you're doing.

Only a few days into their coaching search, the Chicago Bears look clueless.

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