Bears fire Matt Eberflus: Ranking the top candidates to become Chicago’s next coach

Matt Eberflus became the latest NFL coach to lose his job after the Bears relieved him of his duties on Friday. This marks the first time in franchise history that the Bears have fired a coach during a season. 

Eberflus was tasked with rebuilding a Bears team that had endured seven losing seasons over an eight-year span. The team initially made steady progress under Eberflus, going 7-10 in 2023 (after being 4-13 in Eberflus’ first season) and starting this season with a 4-2 mark. But Chicago’s ongoing six-game losing skid ultimately cost Eberflus his job, with his decision not to use his final timeout near the end of Thursday’s loss to Detroit serving as the proverbial nail in the coffin. 

Chicago now joins the Jets and Saints as franchises who will begin the process of finding their next coach. Here’s an early ranking at the best potential candidates to lead the Bears in 2025.  

8. Kliff Kingsbury 

Kingsbury is in his first season as the Commanders offensive coordinator after spending last fall as a senior offensive analyst at LSU. So far, the Commanders offense has thrived under Kingsbury, especially rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington’s current three-game losing streak, however, has put a damper on the team’s strong start. Kingsbury’s offenses have a history of fading late in seasons, a trend that he is surely hoping to end this winter. 

The 45-year-old coach went 28-37-1 as the Cardinals coach before being fired after four seasons. His lack of success there may hinder his coaching hopes for the time being. 

7. Arthur Smith

The Atlanta Falcons head coach from 2021-23, Smith is in the middle of his first season as the Steelers offensive coordinator. Pittsburgh’s offense has vastly improved this season under Smith, who navigated through the challenge of transitioning from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson after six games. 

Smith, who recently received a call from UNC about its coaching vacancy, doesn’t appear to be in a rush to leave Pittsburgh. His 21-30 record in Atlanta may require him to have more success as a coordinator before he is seriously considered for a coaching job. 

6. Bill Belichick 

The six-time Super Bowl champion is expected to be in the running for several positions this offseason after not landing a coaching job this past coaching cycle. A defensive coach at heart, Belichick is no novice when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. He enjoyed the most successful coach-quarterback partnership in NFL history during his time with Tom Brady. 

Belichick led a successful rebuild with the Browns in the early 1990s before Cleveland moved to Baltimore. His unsuccessful finish in New England is the biggest stain on an otherwise legendary coaching career. 

5. Liam Coen 

Coen, 39, is currently in his first season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator after previously holding that position with the Rams. This season, the Buccaneers offense is fourth in the NFL in points, seventh in yards gained, and second in both third-down and red zone efficiency. Baker Mayfield has flourished this season while working with Coen, whose coaching background also includes eight years as a quarterbacks coach. 

4. Aaron Glenn

Glenn has enjoyed a successful career in coaching after being a standout cornerback during his 15-year career. A member of Dan Campbell’s original coaching staff in Detroit, Glenn (the Lions defensive coordinator since 2021) is currently presiding over a defense that is fourth in the NFL in fewest points allowed, third in touchdown passes allowed, fifth in rushing yards allowed, second in third-down and third in red zone efficiency. 

Chicago’s passing game coordinator, Brown will now serve as interim coach for the remainder of the season. The 38-year-old served as the Panthers offensive coordinator in 2023. Before that, he spent three years on the Rams’ coaching staff, where he won a ring after Los Angeles defeated the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. 

Brown has and will continue to work closely with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who on Thursday broke Kyler Murray’s rookie record for the most consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Brown will now get five games to make his case to be the Bears’ next coach. 

2. Joe Brady 

The 35-year-old Brady rose to prominence after serving as LSU’s passing game coordinator during the school’s undefeated, championship-winning 2019 season (Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy that year and threw for seven touchdowns in LSU’s romp of Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl semifinal game). 

Brady then served as the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator for two years before becoming the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator this season. Under Brady, Buffalo’s offense is third in the league in scoring and is also top 10 in the league in third-down and red zone efficiency. Brady has had a successful partnership so far with Josh Allen, who is enjoying an MVP-caliber season. 

It’s hard to fathom a person being more qualified to take over the Bears than the 38-year-old Johnson, who has enjoyed a highly successful run during his three years as the Lions offensive coordinator. Over that span, Jared Goff has realized his potential as a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. Johnson also presides over the NFL’s top running back duo in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. 

Johnson also has the benefit of sharing a division with the Bears, which should give him a leg up when it comes to evaluating the other teams in Chicago’s division. Johnson also surely has a good understanding of the Bears’ current strengths and weaknesses given the fact that he faces them twice a year.