Bear Digest

Bears can't get out of their own way in head coach search as interview with bizarre candidate is scheduled

The Chicago Bears have one of the more bizarre head coaching interviews scheduled this week, adding to concern that they're destined to botch the most important decision of the offseason.

Bryan Perez

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
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There were only a few teams worse than the Chicago Bears in 2024. One of them was the New York Giants, whose offense -- like the Bears -- ranked among the worst in the NFL. So, of course it makes total sense that Chicago would tap into the Giants' coaching staff to potentially find their next head coach.

The Bears will interview Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka on Thursday, according to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler. Kafka will also meet with the New Orleans Saints.

Why not Kafka, right? The Giants offense ranked 30th in yards per game, 28th in passing yards per game, and 31st in points per game. If any coaching candidate is coming off a remarkable year of production, it's gotta be Kafka, right?

Make this make sense. Someone, anyone, please explain how the Bears and Ryan Poles could possibly believe Kafka is the kind of coaching hire who would rally the locker room and rejuvenate the fan base. If, in some alternate reality, the Bears actually are considering hiring Kafka, it'd be like slamming a hammer onto the final nail in Poles' general manager coffin; it would conjure nightmares of Marc Trestman. It would be a disaster.

I'm not sure what about Kafka's resume makes him a head coaching candidate right now. Before joining the Giants' staff in 2022, Kafka was with the Kansas City Chiefs as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. In other words, he held the clipboard for Patrick Mahomes, much like Matt Nagy did before he was named Bears head coach in 2018. We know how that went.

Maybe Kafka will one day emerge as a fantastic head coaching candidate, but that time isn't now. And it certainly isn't now for the Chicago Bears.

Let's hope someone inside Halas Hall stands up and stops the madness before the Bears make a coaching decision they'll quickly regret.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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