The Chicago Bears are in the midst of their search for a new general manager and head coach following the firings of Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy last week. And there are some intriguing names both on the GM and head coach side of things.
The Bears hiring committee consists of Chairman George McCaskey, President/CEO Ted Phillips, Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, VP of Player Engagement Lamar ‘Soup’ Campbell and Senior VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tanesha Wade.
One of the big name candidates for head coach is former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who interviewed with Chicago last week. And he certainly appears to be among the early favorites to land the Bears coaching gig.
It was a sentiment echoed by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who says there’s reason to watch the Bears-Flores connection. Last summer, Bears execs were “extremely impressed” with Flores during joint practices with the Dolphins. Darlington noted “it could become meaningful.”
I mentioned the Flores/Easterby connection as a reason to watch Houston, but here’s a reason to also keep Bears in mind for Flo:
Bears execs were extremely impressed with Flores when they got an up-close look at him during joint practices in August. Could now become meaningful.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) January 17, 2022
Flores was a shocking firing last Monday as the Dolphins parted ways with him after three years. But reports indicate there was a power struggle, where GM Chris Grier ultimately won. Now, a top coaching candidate is on the market.
During three seasons in Miami, Flores went 24-25, which is impressive considering the circumstances. Flores had a winning record in his last two seasons, including an 8-1 finish after a 1-7 start in 2021. His only losing season was in 2019, where he led the Dolphins to a 5-11 record with what many considered the worst roster in the NFL.
If the Bears were to land Flores, they’d get an experienced head coach who was doing great things with the Dolphins before he was fired. But he would factor in as a defensive-minded coach, which means there needs to be a plan in place to develop quarterback Justin Fields.
Here’s a look at the complete list of head coach and GM candidates the Bears have requested to interview:
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