A new name joined the ever growing list of head coach candidates for the Chicago Bears on Christmas morning and it certainly makes the search become more intriguing to follow this offseason.
Last week against the Detroit Lions, the Bears got to see a potential head coach target on the other sideline in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Tomorrow, against the Seattle Seahawks, the Bears might have another option with ties to the team on the other sideline.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, former Seahawks' head coach Pete Carroll has expressed interest in the Bears' opening and a potential return to coaching.
Carroll was removed from his position as the Seahawks' head coach back in January and moved into an “advisory” role with the team. Soon after, the team hired Mike McDonald as the team's next head coach.
Back in August, Carroll hinted about returning to the sidelines as a head coach again. Schefter added that Carroll has recently been discussing a return to coaching and now is expressing serious interest.
"I get asked a lot, so I'm pretty familiar with answering that I could coach tomorrow," Caroll said via 93.9 KJR. "I'm physically in the best shape I've been in a long time. I'm ready to be ready to do all the activities that I'm doing and feeling really good about it."
Right now, three teams have head coaching vacancies (Bears, Jets, and Saints) with many more expected to open once the regular season ends for various teams in the coming days. After firing head coach Matt Eberflus, Bears' team president Kevin Warren stated that the Bears would have the most coveted opening in this cycle.
“We’re going to have plenty of salary cap space. We have a young, talented roster. We have strong draft capital in the upcoming draft and we have a young quarterback in Caleb Williams who has shown he is very special and in the right environment he can become even more special than he has already shown,” Warren said.
Williams, the team's rookie quarterback and future face of the franchise, is going to easily be the biggest draw for the team when it comes to finding the next head coach. Williams is already closing in on multiple franchise single-season records, just 16 weeks into his NFL career and continues to show improvement by the day.
Both Warren and general manager Ryan Poles, who will help in the search, stated the team is looking for a "leader of men" type coach. Carroll certainly fits that bill. The 73-year-old has both a national championship and Super Bowl win on his resume, one of four coaches ever who can claim to doing so.
Carroll also has experience working with young quarterbacks and leading a top defense that boasts a lot of talent. In 2013, Carroll led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Wilson's second season in the NFL. That year, the Seahawks' defense also ranked first in points per game and yards per game allowed.
That result would ideally be the dream for the Bears in 2025 with Williams going into his second season. We'll soon see if the Bears share similar interest in bringing Carroll back into the saddle, or if the team prefers to go with any of other candidates the team will consider.
