Here are the coaching candidates who the Chicago Bears have interviewed so far

LAKE FOREST – The coaching search is well underway. The Chicago Bears started their next chapter last week when they began their search for a new head coach.

Initial interviews with coaching candidates began last week and will continue through this week. In-person interviews with coaches who are employed by other teams may begin following the divisional round of the playoffs on Monday.

For a full breakdown of all the rules surrounding the NFL hiring process, check out our review of the rules.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren kicked their search into high gear roughly five weeks after firing former head coach Matt Eberflus.

Here are the coaching candidates who the Bears have interviewed or who they are expected to interview soon.

The Bears have interviewed these coaches

The Bears have confirmed interviews with the following coaches:

• Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator (Jan. 17)
• Thomas Brown, Chicago Bears interim head coach (Jan. 13)
• Pete Carroll, former Seattle Seahawks head coach (Jan. 9)
• Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator (Jan. 18)
• Eddie George, Tennessee State head coach (Jan. 19)
• Aaron Glenn, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator (Jan. 11)
• Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator (Jan. 11)
• Mike Kafka, New York Giants offensive coordinator (Jan. 9)
• Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys head coach (Jan. 15)
• Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator (Jan. 17)
• Drew Petzing, Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator (Jan. 9)
• Ron Rivera, former Washington Commanders head coach (Jan. 12)
• David Shaw, Denver Broncos senior personnel executive (Jan. 14)
• Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator (Jan. 15)
• Adam Stenovich, Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator (Jan. 18)
• Mike Vrabel, former Tennessee Titans head coach (Jan. 8)
• Anthony Weaver, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator (Jan. 9)

The Bears requested interviews with these coaches

The Bears are expected to interview these coaches, per reports:

• Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach (per ESPN)
• Kliff Kingsbury, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator (per the NFL Network)

Which teams have head coach openings?

There are six NFL head coach openings during this cycle. The following teams are searching for head coaches:

• Chicago Bears
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Las Vegas Raiders
• New England Patriots (New England hired Mike Vrabel on Jan. 12)
• New Orleans Saints
• New York Jets

Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn are available Monday following Lions' loss

The Washington Commanders stunned Detroit Lions on Saturday night, beating the Lions at Ford Field in the divisional round of the playoffs. Detroit’s season is over. The Commanders will play in next week’s NFC championship game.

That has big implications for the head coach hiring cycle. Top candidates Ben Johnson, the Lions' offensive coordinator, and Aaron Glenn, their defensive coordinator, are now eligible to interview in person as soon as Monday.

The sweepstakes for Johnson – the most sought-after coordinator of this hiring cycle – are about to get real. Johnson already did a first round of interviews with the Bears, Raiders, Jaguars and Patriots (who have since hired Mike Vrabel).

In another wrinkle, the Bears are expected to interview Tennessee State head coach Eddie George on Sunday, according to multiple reports. George was a four-time Pro Bowl running back with the Oilers/Titans in the 1990s and early 2000s.

In 2023, George helped out with the Bears coaching staff as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

According to a report from ESPN, George’s interview on Sunday is in person. That’s notable because it would mean the Bears are in compliance with the Rooney Rule, which ensures that teams must interview at least two minority head coaching candidates in person. The Bears previously interviewed Ron Rivera, who is Latino, in person. Interim head coach Thomas Brown, who is Black, did not count toward that total because those interviews must be with external candidates.

Once the Bears are in compliance with the Rooney Rule, they would be allowed to hire a head coach at any time. They could potentially make a decision on their head coach as early as Monday.

Steelers rebuff Bears inquiry into Mike Tomlin

The Bears called the Pittsburgh Steelers to inquire about the possibility of trading for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Steelers quickly declined the Bears' inquiry, according to Schefter. Tomlin signed a three-year extension with Pittsburgh last year, which keeps him under contract through the 2027 season.

Many across the league have wondered if the relationship between Tomlin and the Steelers is beginning to sour. In 18 years running the Steelers, Tomlin has a 183-107-2 regular season record. His teams have never won fewer than eight games in a season. They’ve reached the postseason 12 times.

But it has been a long time since the Steelers have had postseason success. The Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2008 and reached the big game again in 2010, but they currently haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. Each of their last five postseason trips, including this season, have ended with a loss in their first playoff game.

Read our full breakdown of what this means for the Bears here.

Kliff Kingsbury reportedly delays interviews

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is delaying his head coach interviews until the Commanders' season wraps up, per multiple reports.

Per the NFL’s rules, this was the first week that Kingsbury was eligible to interview for head coaching jobs. The Bears have reportedly requested an interview with him. The New Orleans Saints have also reportedly requested an interview with the former Arizona Cardinals head coach.

But Kingsbury wants to focus on the postseason. The Commanders take on the Detroit Lions at 7 p.m. Saturday in a divisional round playoff game.

If the Commanders lose on Saturday, Kingsbury would be eligible to interview with teams next week. If Washington keeps winning, that would push any job interviews further down the line.

That could put Kingsbury at a disadvantage in the hiring cycle.

Kingsbury’s first season in Washington has been a huge success. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall draft pick, appears likely to win offensive rookie of the year honors. The Commanders went from 4-13 in 2023 to 12-5 in 2024.

Mike McCarthy interviews with Bears

The Bears interviewed former Packers and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on Wednesday, the team confirmed.

Multiple reports indicated that McCarthy, who is a free agent, met with the team in person at Halas Hall. Since McCarthy is not employed by another NFL team, he is allowed to hold an in-person interview.

McCarthy has a 174-112-2 record in 18 seasons as an NFL head coach. His teams reached the postseason in 12 of those 18 years.

McCarthy’s contract with the Cowboys expired this week. The Cowboys had initially denied the Bears interview request when McCarthy was still under contract, but they were unable to work out a new deal with the veteran head coach.

[ Bears shouldn’t be above embracing Mike McCarthy: Silvy ]

David Shaw, Arthur Smith interview

Over the past 24 hours, the Bears completed interviews with former Stanford coach David Shaw, who now works in the Broncos’ front office, and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

The Bears were also expected to interview Mike McCarthy in person on Wednesday.

Shaw resigned from his job at Stanford at the end of the 2022 season. He spent 2023 out of coaching before joining the Broncos in 2024.

He coached in the NFL for nearly a decade before joining Jim Harbaugh’s staff at FCS San Diego in 2006. Shaw followed Harbaugh to Stanford, then took over as head coach when Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers in 2011.

In 12 years as Stanford head coach, Shaw’s teams went 96-54, reaching the Rose Bowl three times. Three of his last four Stanford teams, however, had losing records.

Smith, who interviewed Wednesday morning, spent three seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-23. His teams went 21-30, finishing exactly 7-10 in each of his three seasons.

Smith joined the Steelers as offensive coordinator in 2024 and oversaw an offense, led by QB Russell Wilson, that helped the Steelers go 10-7 and reach the postseason.

Before becoming a head coach in 2021, Smith served as an assistant and as the offensive coordinator for Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans teams.

Smith is the son of FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith.

McCarthy, Cowboys will part ways

The Cowboys and head coach Mike McCarthy are expected to part ways, according to multiple reports on Monday morning. McCarthy is under contract until midnight Tuesday, but the team and the 61-year-old head coach could not agree to a new contract.

McCarthy is expected to begin interviewing with other teams immediately.

The Bears requested an interview with McCarthy last week, but the Cowboys reportedly denied access. McCarthy was in a unique position. Most NFL coaches never reach the final year of their contracts. Typically, they’re either fired sooner or they sign an extension before the final year so as to avoid having a lame-duck head coach.

But the Cowboys don’t always operate like other teams. They did the same thing – twice – with former head coach Jason Garrett.

The split between the Cowboys and McCarthy means two things. One, McCarthy is a free agent and is expected to interview with at least Chicago and New Orleans. And two, the Cowboys are now on the market for a head coach.

This unexpected opening could change things for this current head coaching search cycle. The Cowboys can begin initial virtual interviews with prospective head coaches this week if the season is over for those coaches. For coaching candidates who are participating in this weekend’s divisional round of the playoffs (such as Detroit’s Ben Johnson, Buffalo’s Joe Brady or Baltimore’s Todd Monken), an initial interview is now prohibited until that coach’s season is over.

So Dallas' meandering decision to part ways with McCarthy has set them back in the sweepstakes for Johnson. If the Lions reach the Super Bowl, Dallas would be prohibited from interviewing Johnson until Feb. 10. But teams who have already interviewed Johnson virtually (the Bears, Raiders and Jaguars) could hold second interviews during the bye week prior to Super Bowl week.

That would be a massive advantage for such teams.

Patriots hire Mike Vrabel as head coach

New England hired Mike Vrabel to be their head coach over the weekend. Vrabel returns to a Patriots franchise where he won three Super Bowls as a player. The team is expected to formally introduce Vrabel during a news conference Monday.

Vrabel also interviewed for the Bears job last week. But his return to New England surprised nobody within NFL circles. The Patriots fired former coach Jerod Mayo after one season, and many across the league believed that Vrabel’s availability played a part in that.

Vrabel coached the Tennessee Titans for six seasons, leading them to the playoffs three times. After parting ways with Tennessee a year ago, Vrabel spent the 2024 season as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns.

So what does Vrabel’s hiring mean for the Bears? It obviously takes Vrabel off the list of potential head coaches. It also somewhat limits the list of candidates with previous head coaching experience.

As of Monday morning, the Bears have interviewed two other coaches with previous head coaching experience: Pete Carroll and Ron Rivera.

Taking New England out of the running might make Chicago more enticing for potential candidates who want an established plan at the quarterback position. The Bears and Patriots both drafted quarterbacks at the top of the 2024 NFL draft in Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, respectively. With New England off the table, the Bears are now the only job available that comes with a young, promising quarterback on his rookie contract. Jacksonville has QB Trevor Lawrence under contract through 2030 after signing him to a five-year, $275 million contract last offseason.

Las Vegas doesn’t seem to have any plan at quarterback (they also need a new GM). New Orleans is stuck with Derek Carr for at least one more season after signing him to a four-year, $150 million contract in March 2023. Lastly, the Jets new head coach will have to deal with the whims of Aaron Rodgers and whether or not he returns in 2025.

With McCarthy out in Dallas, that adds the Cowboys to the list. Dallas will be intriguing for any head coach candidate. The team is set up to win now when quarterback Dak Prescott is healthy.

Jets interview with Matt Nagy

One former Bears head coach also found his name in the headlines last week. The Jets interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, according to multiple reports.

Since the Bears fired Nagy following the 2021 season, Nagy returned to Kansas City to work with mentor Andy Reid. Nagy spent his first season as the quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2023. The Chiefs have won the past two Super Bowls and are trying to become the first team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

The Jets also reportedly interviewed with Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi. That could be a potential GM-head coach pairing. Borgonzi’s brother Dave Borgonzi is the current Bears linebackers coach.

The Bears went 34-31 over four seasons with Nagy as head coach, making two playoff appearances.