If you've lost track of all the head coaching interviews the Chicago Bears have conducted so far, don't worry. You're not alone.
The list of candidates general manager Ryan Poles has interviewed is growing like a snowball rolling downhill—getting bigger, faster, and harder to keep up with by the day.
Unfortunately, that momentum hasn't brought us any closer to someone getting hired. Instead, it's making the Bears appear like a team that doesn't know what they're looking for.
Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brady has entered the Bears coaching competition
The latest head coaching interview involved Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, whom the Bears held a virtual meeting with on Friday.
Brady has long been considered a top candidate for the Bears coaching job. He's been an integral part of the Bills' and quarterback Josh Allen's success since 2022, when he took over as the team's quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to interim offensive coordinator in 2023 and earned the title in an official capacity this past season.
Brady’s credentials are bolstered by Buffalo’s offensive success this season. The Bills ranked 10th in the NFL in total yards per game (359.1) and ninth in passing yards per game (227.9). Their ground attack was just as impressive, placing ninth in the league with an average of 131.2 rushing yards per game.
The Bills scored points in bunches, too. Buffalo averaged 31 points per game in 2024, which, compared to the Bears (18.2), was in a completely different league foreign to Bears fans.
So, sure, it’s easy to see why Joe Brady is a hot candidate—but a word to the wise: Brady had the luxury of Josh Allen’s improvisational magic, the kind of quarterback sorcery that turns broken plays into highlight-reel touchdowns.
Perhaps Brady's success with Allen is a checkmark in his favor for the Bears job. Caleb Williams shares many similarities with Allen's style of play, often making his biggest plays off-script and outside of structure. If Brady has succeeded with Allen's controlled chaos style, there's no reason to think he couldn't do it with Williams, too.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is still the frontrunner for the Bears' head coaching position, with seasoned coach Mike McCarthy close on his heels. However, Brady has emerged as a serious contender for the role, giving Bears fans plenty of reasons to be excited.
