By Kevin Fishbain, Adam Jahns, Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf and RJ Kraft
The Chicago Bears have requested permission to interview Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy for its own coaching vacancy, a league source said Monday.
The Cowboys hold exclusive rights with McCarthy until Jan. 14 so teams must ask for permission to speak with the Super Bowl-winning coach before that date. However, after Jan. 14, should McCarthy not have a new contract with Dallas, he is free to interview where he chooses.
Chicago is looking for a new coach after firing Matt Eberflus on the Friday after its Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions. He went 14-32 in three seasons with the Bears. Thomas Brown coached the team for the final five games of the season — going 1-4 — as Chicago finished up the 2024 season with a 5-12 record. The Bears are expected to cast a wide net in the team’s coaching search but the team has already been linked to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, among others.
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With quarterback Caleb Williams fresh off his rookie season, it is expected that the Bears would like to pair him with an offensive mind at head coach to further develop the No. 1 pick from the 2024 draft but the term “leader of men” has also been something mentioned as a key to the Chicago search.
Following the Cowboys’ Week 18 loss that saw Dallas finish the season 7-10, McCarthy made it clear after Sunday’s game that he “absolutely” wants to remain in Dallas.
“I have a lot invested here,” McCarthy said. “And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me. And then there’s a personal side to all of these decisions. They all point in the right direction. … I’m a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. At the end of the day, it is about winning. You have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation there.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has praised the work of McCarthy in recent weeks. When asked Sunday about potentially making a coaching change, Jones responded: “I don’t know that I am considering making a change.” However, Jones also indicated he didn’t want to stand in the way of McCarthy speaking with other teams if another organization sought permission as the Bears have.
“Then I would say, ‘Go talk.’ I really would,” Jones said. “Go talk. I just let (Ezekiel Elliott) do that. That’s not healthy to have somebody around that wants to be someplace else.”
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In 18 seasons as a head coach with the Green Bay Packers and Cowboys, McCarthy has a record of 174-112-2 in the regular season with an 11-11 record in the playoffs and he won the 2010 Super Bowl. McCarthy’s five seasons with the Cowboys have seen him compile three 12-win seasons en route to a 49-35 record and a 1-3 mark in the postseason.
Why McCarthy is a great fit for the Bears
Bears fans seem livid about the possibility of McCarthy becoming their head coach, but he’d be the most accomplished coach to step inside Halas Hall in … decades? He’s a Super Bowl champion. He’s won 11 playoff games — the Bears have won 11 playoff games since 1963. He knows how to run an offense and has worked with Hall of Fame quarterbacks, making him a good match with Williams.
Having been a head coach for 18 years, he can assemble a staff and implement a winning culture. He knows how to win in the division and do so in cold weather — he went 9-3 (including a win in the NFC Championship in the 2010 season) at Soldier Field as the Packers’ coach. There are fair questions about his game management and struggles in Dallas in big games, but he’s an offensive mind who has won — isn’t that what the Bears need? — Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer
Williams could benefit greatly from McCarthy
As promised by team president/CEO Kevin Warren, the Bears are seemingly in the early stages of running an extensive search for Eberflus’ replacement. The team’s interest in McCarthy isn’t too surprising. McCarthy is an offensive-minded head coach who had success in the NFC North as the former Packers coach.
Williams has also said multiple times that his favorite player is Aaron Rodgers. McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl together with the Packers. Under McCarthy, Rodgers was named the league’s MVP in 2011 and 2014. Williams said that he will continue to examine the success of the best QBs as he takes the next step in his career in his second season. Rodgers, of course, comes to mind. McCarthy could be a great resource for Williams when it comes to that. — Adam Jahns, Bears beat writer
Dallas’ delay on a coaching decision isn’t helping
The Cowboys’ insistence on delaying the decision on how they want to proceed at head coach is complicating matters more than it should. Jones himself said prior to the season finale that he had all of the information needed to make a decision, yet one day after the season has ended, the Cowboys have yet to announce their intentions to either part ways with McCarthy, who Dallas holds exclusive negotiating rights with until Jan. 14, or hand him an extension.
Jones said on Sunday that if McCarthy wanted to talk to another team, he would honor that request because it’s “not healthy to have somebody around that wants to be someplace else.” The issue is McCarthy doesn’t know that he has a choice and if his options include Dallas. McCarthy made it clear after the season finale that he would like to return to Dallas, but Jones is the one who hasn’t made his stance clear.
Now, if the Cowboys deny the Bears’ request and proceed to not extend McCarthy, that’ll be a tough look for the front office and ownership, one that would then be in the market to lure a quality head coach to Dallas. McCarthy hired agent Don Yee last offseason, who also represents Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton, among others. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer
The ball is in Jones’ court
If Jones allows McCarthy to interview with the Bears, it’s a good sign that Jones is moving on. The Cowboys owner and general manager was clear Sunday that he wants people in the building who want to be there, referencing how he recently allowed Elliott to seek a playoff opportunity with another team.
If McCarthy has a good feeling that he’s not going to be back, it makes a lot of sense for him to interview with an NFC North team that he’s very familiar with from his time in Green Bay. Although he has been unable to have much playoff success with the Cowboys, McCarthy is a good NFL head coach who could be an outstanding stabilizer for a franchise in a tough spot but with a talented young quarterback. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
