The Chicago Bears are in the market for a new head coach after firing Matt Nagy, as well as general manager Ryan Pace. It is important that they make the right decision here if they want to turn their fortunes around and contend for a championship sooner rather than later. Let's take a look at three potential replacements who can develop and lead the next contending team in Chicago.
Chicago Bears head coaching candidates to replace Matt Nagy
3. Kevin Wilson
The first candidate that Chicago should look at is Kevin Wilson, the Ohio State Buckeyes' offensive coordinator. While Wilson expressed his happiness at Ohio State and didn't indicate any desire to leave when it was rumored that Akron was pursuing him for their head coaching vacancy, there is also a huge difference between when Akron comes calling and when the NFL comes calling.
So, why does this make sense for both sides?
First of all, Chicago made a huge investment in the future of the team by trading up to get Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Wilson is a familiar face to Fields, as Wilson was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State when Fields was the starting quarterback. Although they didn't win a national championship, the pair still achieved incredible success together, and the Bears should take a gamble that these two would find more success together at the professional level.
The second candidate the Bears should take into consideration is current Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
First of all, let’s get one thing out of the way: Yes, Eric Bieniemy has a huge advantage in Kansas City, where he has Patrick Mahomes under center along with an array of weapons, from Tyreek Hill to Travis Kelce and even Mecole Hardman.
However, the NFL is littered with stories of talented offenses that have failed to achieve the levels of success that their talent seemingly indicates they should reach. Bieniemy has made sure that Kansas City avoided that scenario, while also drawing up plays that maximize the individual talents of all their weapons to achieve maximum success as a team.
Also, Bieniemy has been able to keep most of the offensive players happy, ensuring the ball gets spread around and everybody gets their touches. Together, Bieniemy and Mahomes have done an excellent job of playing a “point guard” role for the Chiefs' explosive offense, finding the right players at the right times and making sure that everybody gets a chance to do their thing.
What is the biggest factor that may be preventing the Bears from considering Bieniemy? That may be history. Matt Nagy came to Chicago by way of Kansas City as well, and the Bears may be unwilling to risk the ridicule of trying the same thing twice if it doesn’t work out. That being said, Bieniemy is not Nagy, he is his own person. Chicago shouldn’t let the fear of ridicule from talking heads from a different situation that didn’t work out be the reason why you don’t try something that looks to have a good chance of working out.
The biggest challenge for the Bears in their recruitment of Bieniemy may simply be that the Chiefs offensive coordinator is happy where he is. He may not want to leave the job security of Kansas City and the talent he has there to take on a rebuilding project with a second-year quarterback who had an up-and-down rookie season.
Justin Fields is a willing runner, he exhibits toughness (watch his performance against Clemson where he led Ohio State to the National Championship Game despite taking a huge hit to the ribs), he is able to make off-platform throws and he has a cannon for an arm. Bieniemy may very well be excited about the prospect of developing a young quarterback and molding his own team the way he wants. Looking at it from a purely play-style perspective, Fields has a similar style to a younger, raw version of Mahomes, and Bieniemy may very well be enticed by the opportunity to develop his own legacy with his own team.
1. Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh saw immense success in the NFL, compiling a .695 winning percentage to go along with a 5-3 record in the playoffs. Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers to three conference championship games and one Super Bowl appearance.
Harbaugh clearly has an affinity for his former teams, as he played for the Michigan Wolverines during his college career and then returned to his alma mater as head coach after his stint in San Francisco came to an end.
Here's where it gets interesting: Harbaugh was drafted by the Chicago Bears, and he played seven seasons for the team. Is it possible that he could be interested in the idea of coaching the team that drafted him and gave him his first opportunity to play in the NFL? There is certainly a good chance this could be of interest to him, and Chicago would be wise to inquire about Harbaugh's interest. With Harbaugh, Chicago would be getting a coach who has had success at both the college and professional ranks, who is respected by players and has found success with various archetypes of quarterbacks. (Fields plays similarly to Colin Kaepernick, who along with Harbaugh led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII.)
Harbaugh will be able to help Fields develop as an NFL-caliber starting quarterback, while building the roster around him. As Chicago approaches contender status, Harbaugh's experience will prove vital in guiding his team to postseason success.