Bear Digest

Why Bears Job Might Not Be as Coveted as They Think It Is

Kevin Warren called the Bears job the best one that will be available but will the top candidates like Ben Johnson, Mike Vrabel and Kliff Kingsbury even see Chicago this way?

Gene Chamberlain

Are the Bears really the best job available to the top candidates or is this just president Kevin Warren's hype?
Are the Bears really the best job available to the top candidates or is this just president Kevin Warren's hype? / David Banks-Imagn Images
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Bears president Kevin Warren thinks highly of the opportunity his team can give to some lucky coach candidate.

“This will be the most coveted job in the National Football League this year,” Warren said after firing Matt Eberflus.

Warren pointed to several selling points he and GM Ryan Poles have on their side when seeking out a new coach.

“We are going to have plenty of salary cap space, we have a young talented roster, we have strong draft capital in the upcoming draft, and we have a quarterback in Caleb Williams who has shown he is very special–and in the right environment he can become even more special than he already has shown,” Warren said.  “The other thing I am grateful for is we have full support of the McCaskey family who has provided us with the resources–not only during the search but also once our new head coach is here to build and environment that will be a championship environment. That is really important so we’re grateful for that.”

There are plenty of fans who debate this last fact, as the chants of “sell the team, sell the team” said during the last Bears loss to Seattle at Soldier Field.

However, the other selling points can’t be denied. What can be argued is that the Bears job is the best one.

Anyone can say bold things now.

Black Monday is coming. Some jobs are open already. Others are expected to open. Still more could come open. And then there is always a surprise firing, maybe two.

The Bears are going to have to battle all of these teams if they think Ben Johnson is the top candidate available, or if they think it’s Mike Vrabel.

The firings on Black Monday and Terrible Tuesday will turn the coaching search into an entirely different landscape and Bears fans need to pay as much more attention to this than some of the silly unsubstantiated garbage floated as fact these days in social media.

Not only will the Bears suddenly have competition from these teams for the best candidates, but some candidates will be available from those teams who are not being discussed much now.

ESPN's Adam Schefter has said no less than seven jobs should come open. That's a lot of competition for the Bears.

Here are the teams most likely to be hunting for help and competing to be “most coveted job” with the Bears.

And remember this, none of these teams have three teams ahead of them in the standings who are in the playoffs. Not only are  the Lions and Vikings in the playoffs, but they also are both top 10 in available effective cap space for 2025 according to Overthecap.com.

Does that Bears jobs still look so good?

Saints

Darren Rizzi has handled the Saints since coach Dennis Allen's firing after nine games. The fact the team not only ended a seven-game losing streak under Rizzi but went on to win three out of four games right away indicates there is talent available. They came within a failed two-point conversion of beating the Commanders, too. Derek Carr is a veteran QB. They have Chris Olave. A coach might covet this situation as much as the Bears. They had a winning record only a season ago.

N.Y. Jets

If you're an offensive minded coach, the first place you might want to go? It might be a team with a tremendous defense already in place. The Bears thought they were a top-five defense and they're 25th, although they are 12th in scoring. The Jets ARE fifth on defense. They've tried everything possible to get their offense activated, from bringing in Aaron Rodgers to acquiring Davante Adams. They have running back Breece Hall, wide receiver Garrett Wilson. It's little wonder some rumors have placed Mike Vrabel with interest in this team considering the defensive talent available.

Cowboys

There is plenty of speculation Jerry Jones could come to Mike McCarthy with a contract extension after the season but maybe after winning four of the last six with a roster decimated by injuries and without his starting QB, McCarthy would just tell Jones where to put his job. Who knows? The Dallas job would be the most desired job if it came open. CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and numerous others have been in the playoffs three straight years before this. America' Team. But what about the Bears? They have the rich, proud tradition. Not so much. They have losing tradition. Their history of success is ancient history, remembered each year by fewer and fewer fans. Last place for seven of 11 seasons makes it a hell hole. It might be a great football market and a place where fans love football but they'll also turn on you at the drop of a pin. Fans chant for the ownership to sell the team. That's not a positive situation conducive to winning, but Dallas has had success within the last few years and an owner with a deep pocket.

Raiders

They haven't fired coach Antonio Pierce yet but this team showed almost no life until the last couple weeks when they should be tanking to get a real quarterback. Beyond Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers there isn't much here for a new coach to work with but there is the second-most cap space in 2025 and a draft pick that will probably be better than the pick the Bears will have. Their owner managed to get a stadium built in Las Vegas. And the Bears?

Jaguars

If Doug Pederson is fired after this season it would surprise no one but he also had them with winning records the two previous years and with a playoff win, as well. So there is talent here. Would you rather have Caleb Williams or Trevor Lawrence? Williams still needs to show he can do some of the things Lawrence did in his second and third years. He's only been below 7.0 yards per pass attempt once, as a rookie. They have 28 players chosen on Day 1 or 2 of the draft and shouldn't be performing like they are this season. With that much talent, a lot of free agent money dumped into the receiver corps and a No. 1 overall quarterback, this might look like a much better place to land to some coaches than Chicago.

N.Y. Giants

For some reason, there is speculation Brian Daboll will be kept after two straight horrendous seasons. It seems they're more likely to be cleaning house entirely, but either way they are a traditional franchise in the league's biggest market, should have a better draft pick than the Bears if they don't beat the Eagles on Sunday and that doesn't seem likely. It's a situation not totally unlike the Bears as they have the 10th ranked pass defense in the league. They do have defensive monster Dexter Lawrence but their offense might be even worse than the Bears and they need a quarterback.

Titans

It seems unlikely Tennessee would dump Brian Callahan after one season. He hasn't exactly had time to rebuild a team that was in ruin, but the situation doesn't look positive when QB Will Levis hasn't made any real strides in his second season.

Patriots

Like with the Titans Jerod Mayo hasn't really had much chance to turn this around but with Vrabel available there's plenty of speculation they could change head coaches. This might be a better position than the Bears have too. After all, they just beat the Bears 19-3 in Chicago.

Browns

There is even speculation two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski will get fired. If he does, there's the first guy the Bears need to contact. A coach coming in would go to team with Myles Garrett and a potentially dominant defense but they do have a quarterback problem. Regardless, if this job opens the Bears shouldn't be worrying about the competition from Cleveland. Instead, they should be trying to talk to the coach who was 11-6 and 11-5 playing in what has traditionally been one of the league's toughest divisions.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.