Getty Former head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.
Matt Eberflus is no longer the head coach of the Chicago Bears, a development which he addressed on Saturday, November 30.
The organization chose to terminate Eberflus midway through his third year with the team. He signed a five-year contract ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Chicago’s decision is historic in that it is the first time the franchise has ever fired a coach in the midst of a campaign in its more than 100 years of existence. The call came down from ownership and the front office after the Bears blew another close game in the final seconds against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, which was also the team’s sixth consecutive loss this season.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Eberflus’s statement in the wake of his firing via an X post on Saturday.
I would like to thank the McCaskey family and Ryan Poles for the opportunity to be head coach of the Chicago Bears.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the players for all of their effort, dedication and resilience. In every situation — practice, games and especially in the face of adversity, you stayed together and gave great effort for your team and each other. What I am most proud of was the way you carried yourself both on and off the field and represented the Bears organization with class in the community.
To the fans, thank you for your support and passion. I will always have a deep appreciation for the Bears organization and the city of Chicago.
Matt Eberflus Lost Locker Room After Loss to Commanders
GettyFormer Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
Eberflus didn’t lose his job until the day after Thanksgiving, but Adam Jahns and Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Saturday that he lost the locker room long before then.
“The unraveling began weeks earlier during the team’s disastrous loss to the Washington Commanders,” Jahns and Russini wrote. “What didn’t sit well with some team leaders was Eberflus avoiding accountability for his own coaching errors. Players pointed to the play before the Hail Mary. Eberflus allowed Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to complete a 13-yard pass on the penultimate play and then didn’t call a timeout before the Hail Mary to discuss his defense and calm emotions. When he was asked about it by reporters, Eberflus downplayed the importance of [that decision].”
Things between Eberflus and the locker room continued to deteriorate with blowout losses to the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals following the defeat against the Commanders. Chicago then fell in one-score games to the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, with both losses coming at Soldier Field and both defeats including late-game gaffes by Eberflus and the coaching staff.
Thomas Brown Gets Shot as Bears Head Coach
GettyChicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown.
Thomas Brown, formerly the pass game coordinator and then the interim offensive coordinator following the firing of Shane Waldron, now enters the role of interim head coach.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Friday that Brown will continue to call the plays in his new capacity. He added that how Brown performs down a tough remaining stretch of schedule will determine his status heading into 2025 and shape the Bears coaching search, or lack thereof.
“I suspect Brown … will get a real look at the role long term,” Fowler wrote. “He’s well-respected, has interviewed for several head-coaching jobs and has acquitted himself well in the process. The Bears probably will cast the expected wide net, and while an offensive mind would be helpful for [QB Caleb] Williams, experience calling plays is not a prerequisite for the job.”
