When Bears chairman George McCaskey described his ideal new coach, it was a romantic, old-school depiction that seemed like he wanted to find the modern Mike Ditka.
There was no mention of scheme or player development. It was much more of an artist’s rendering of a classic coaching persona.
“Tough, gritty, smart, opportunistic — winning football,” McCaskey said, pausing for emphasis between terms.
Sounding as though he were casting for the role in a movie, McCaskey also said players “don’t have to like him, they don’t have to love him, but they respect him.”
If that’s what he’s been imagining, it’d be no surprise to see the Bears fall in love with Brian Flores. And while his actual, concrete plans for quarterback Justin Fields, the declining defense and an incredibly crucial hire at offensive coordinator are much more important than his demeanor, McCaskey might end up hiring exactly the guy he needs by following his heart.
As Chicago Sun-Times NFL writers Jason Lieser and Patrick Finley predict who will land in each of the eight head-coaching vacancies, the Bears are most likely to connect with Flores.
They’ll probably interview a dozen or so candidates by the end of this, but few are going to be as impressive as him. At 40, Flores is among the rising stars in his profession, came up with the prestigious Patriots and is fresh off overachieving in three seasons coaching the Dolphins.
He did better than expected with a stripped-down roster by going 5-11 his first season, then followed by going 19-14 over the last two.
So why is this guy even available? That’s the key question the Bears must answer.
Flores appeared to have friction with owner Stephen Ross, general manager Chris Grier and upstart quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
That alone doesn’t preclude him from getting the job. Doug Pederson and Jim Harbaugh carry similar baggage. In considering any of those options, the Bears need to fully understand what went wrong and determine how exactly Flores would work with whoever they bring in as general manager. It’d be prudent to finalize that hire first.
That’s what McCaskey said he preferred to do anyway, and in that case, the incoming general manager’s opinion might diverge from McCaskey’s.
With Flores predicted for the Bears, here’s who Lieser and Finley project for the other seven teams:
Raiders: Jim Harbaugh
This is a classic move by both sides. Harbaugh is surely unsatisfied with how his run with the 49ers ended despite going 44-19-1 in four seasons, and the Raiders are always looking to make a big splash. Luring Harbaugh from Michigan would be the boldest move of this hiring cycle.
It’s an interesting time to take over the Raiders, who overcame coach Jon Gruden’s scandalous exit to go 10-7 and make the playoffs under special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. Harbaugh would likely join the team with significant authority over personnel and will need to decide whether the team is on its way to contending or needs to rebuild.
That decision looms largest at quarterback. Derek Carr hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2017, and while he’s solid, it’s clear after eight seasons he’s not a game changer. He has one season left on his contract, so now is the time to trade him if the Raiders want to start fresh at the position.
Jaguars: Doug Pederson
The Jags fired Urban Meyer on Dec. 16 and spoke to Pederson two weeks later. If he had blown them away, wouldn’t we know by now?
Nonetheless, hiring a Super Bowl champion head coach feels like something the Jaguars would do to try to restore credibility after the Meyer debacle. Pederson’s offensive expertise — he groomed Carson Wentz into a presumptive NFL MVP before the quarterback tore his knee in late 2017 — will appeal to a franchise building around rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus makes sense here, too, though the Jaguars might think twice about hiring someone whom — like Meyer — had never been an NFL head coach. Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich could work: he was the Jags’ first-round pick in 2003.
Broncos: Dan Quinn
Quinn likely will have multiple offers, but the Broncos seem locked in on him as their top target and he’d be a good fit there. He’ll inherit an excellent defense, which is his specialty, but he’ll have to solve the offensive woes that doomed Vic Fangio.
The Seahawks had the No. 1 defense in Quinn’s two seasons as coordinator, and he parlayed that success into landing the Falcons’ head job in 2015. He went 29-19 with a Super Bowl appearance — infamously blowing a 28-3 third-quarter lead to the Patriots — over his first three seasons, then crashed with a pair of 7-9 records and got fired after an 0-5 start in 2020.
Quinn quickly rebuilt his reputation as Cowboys defensive coordinator this season. They jumped from 28th in points allowed in 2020 to seventh under Quinn. They led the NFL in takeaways, finished second in third-down defense and were third in opponent passer rating.
Giants: Brian Daboll
When Big Blue hired Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen to be their next GM on Friday, Daboll immediately became a favorite for the job. Don’t discount Schoen’s familiarity with Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, either. The Bears had interest in all three men, interviewing Schoen and Daboll on Sunday and Frazier on Friday.
Daboll is the hottest offensive coordinator in the hiring cycle following the Bills’ 47-17 demolition of the Patriots in the playoffs’ first round. He comes off the Bill Belichick tree, with one year of Nick Saban thrown in — he won the 2017 national title as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Pedestrian stints as the coordinator in Cleveland, Miami and Kansas City are less inspiring.
Daboll’s development of Josh Allen is enough for teams to dream on. His opinion of Daniel Jones will be key — the Giants must decide in May whether or not to pick up the former first-round pick’s 2023 option.
Vikings: Todd Bowles
Bowles, who interviewed with the Vikings on Friday, would mark the team’s third-straight defensive-minded head coach since Brad Childress was fired in the middle of the 2010 season. Defense has nonetheless been the Vikings’ biggest problem; the last two years. In 2021, they finished 24th in the NFL in points allowed and 30th in yards. The year before, they ranked 29th and 27th.
Years before he drew up the defensive game plan to stymie Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl and lead the Buccaneers to a championship, Bowles was a middling head coach, going 24-40 in four seasons with the Jets. During that span, four quarterbacks started games for him: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bryce Petty, Josh McCown and rookie Sam Darnold.
With Kirk Cousins entering the last year of his deal — the Vikings could either extend him or trade him, too — 2022 Bowles needs to present a clear, convincing plan at quarterback. Might it involve old friend Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator?
Dolphins: Leslie Frazier
The day after the Bills defeated the Patriots, Dolphins brass interviewed both Daboll and Frazier in Buffalo. The Bears have interest, too — they spoke with Frazier, a cornerback on their 1985 Super Bowl-winning team, on Friday.
As is the case with Bowles, the fact that Frazier has been a head coach at all — he was 21-32-1 in three-and-a-half seasons with the Vikings — is probably more important than his record during that span.
No team allowed fewer yards or points in 2021 than the Bills. Frazier works for a defensive-minded head coach in Sean McDermott; it’s up to teams to figure out exactly which man is the reason for their success.
Texans: Josh McCown
We know what you’re thinking: McCown must have done a helluva job as the quarterbacks coach at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C.
McCown — who famously coached his son’s team while playing for the Eagles in 2019 — interviewed with the Texans this week despite having no head coaching experience. He interviewed with them last year, too.
The former Bears quarterback is universally beloved around the NFL — even Jay Cutler thought the world of him — and a Texas native. Surround him with veteran assistants, and McCown could be a compelling outside-the-box choice. Unlike other sports, though, ex-players don’t just slide into head coaching roles in the NFL.
The unstable Texans probably lack the culture — and talent — to make it work.
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