CHICAGO (WGN) — Good vibes prevailed with a win over the Green Bay Packers to end the year, but the most consequential coaching hire in franchise history sits directly in front of the Chicago Bears this offseason.

Here’s the latest on where they stand and the candidates they’ve requested to interview.

The Panel

The Bears have assembled a six-person panel to find their next head coach, with general manager Ryan Poles being the final decision-maker on who gets the job. The panel includes Chief Human Resources Officer Liz Geist, Director of Football Administration Matt Feinstein, and Senior Director of Player Personnel Jeff King, in addition to Poles, Warren, and McCaskey. Assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham will also be included occasionally as he pursues other general manager opportunities.

Interviews Completed

Jan. 12 – Ron Rivera

Jan. 11 – Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson

Jan. 9 – Pete Carroll, Mike Kafka, Drew Petzing, Anthony Weaver

Jan. 8 – Mike Vrabel

Candidates Requested to interview

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady
Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown
Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell
Former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka
Washington Commanders Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy*
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken
Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing
Former Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera
Denver Broncos personnel executive David Shaw
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith
Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel**
Miami Dolphins defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver

*Dallas Cowboys declined the Bears’ request to interview McCarthy.

**Vrabel reportedly accepted a deal to become the head coach of the New England Patriots on Jan. 12.

Details on each coaching candidate

Here’s the latest info on each candidate who could become the next head coach of the Chicago Bears, in alphabetical order.

Joe Brady

Brady was officially named the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season. He was named the interim offensive coordinator in Week 11 of the 2023 season and originally joined the Bills in 2022 as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

Buffalo’s offense finished the 2024 season ranked fourth in yards per game (374.5) and sixth in points per game (26.5). After being named interim offensive coordinator in 2023, Brady helped the Bills go 6-1 in their final seven contests and average 380.7 yards and 27 points per game over that stretch.

Before his time in Buffalo, Brady served as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers for two seasons from 2020-21. In 2020, Brady oversaw a Panthers offense that had four players register over 1,000 scrimmage yards (DJ Moore – 1,215, Robby Anderson – 1,111, Curtis Samuel – 1,051 and Mike Davis – 1,015), the fifth offensive unit to do so in the Super Bowl era.

In 2019, Brady was the passing game coordinator for the LSU Tigers. He helped quarterback Joe Burrow throw for 5,671 yards and 60 TD passes on the way to a Heisman Trophy-winning season that also saw LSU finish the year as undefeated national champions.

Thomas Brown

Brown joined the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2024 season with four years of NFL coaching experience and nine at the collegiate level.

Originally hired as the Bears’ passing game coordinator before the 2024 season kicked off, Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator after the firing of Shane Waldron in Week 10, and again to interim head coach after Matt Eberflus was fired following Week 13.

In the eight games since Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator and later interim head coach, Chicago went 1-7 while averaging 16.9 points and 195 total yards per game on offense.

Before being hired by the Bears, Brown was the offensive coordinator of the Panthers in 2023 and spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams prior to that, serving as the team’s associate head coach from 2021-22.

In 2021 when the Rams went on to win the Super Bowl, Brown helped coach an offense that was seventh in the NFL in points per game (27.1) and ninth in total yards per game (372.1).

Brown is expected to interview for the Bears’ head coaching job, but the Seattle Seahawks have also requested to interview him for their vacant offensive coordinator position, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Some on social media have speculated Chicago may use Brown’s interview as a mechanism to satisfy the Rooney Rule — an NFL requirement that teams interview two minority candidates for head coaching, general manager and front office executive positions, but fine language shows Brown wouldn’t impact the rule.

In 2021, the NFL approved changes that required teams to interview at least two external minority candidates in person for open head coach and general manager positions. Brown is an internal candidate since he is already employed by the Bears.

Matt Campbell

Poles said the Bears will be casting a wide net in their search for Chicago’s next head coach, and bringing in Campbell certainly fits that narrative.

He is the Big 12’s second-longest tenured head coach behind Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy. Campbell took the reins at Iowa State ahead of the 2016 college football season and has been the Cyclones head coach ever since.

Campbell owns a 64-51 in nine seasons at Iowa State. He is a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (2017, 2018 and 2020) and his 64 career wins is an all-time record at the school.

Campbell led Iowa State to an 11-3 record in 2024 — the first 10-win season in program history — and an appearance in the Big 12 title game. Iowa State beat Miami in a thriller, 42-41, on Dec. 28 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Campbell, who is 45, received an eight-year contract extension from Iowa State in December running through the 2032 season.

Notable players coached by Campbell at Iowa State include quarterback Brock Purdy, running backs Breece Hall and David Montgomery, wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson and defensive end Will McDonald.

Pete Carroll

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Carroll expressed interest in the Bears’ head coaching job and returning to the NFL sideline in December.

Carroll, who took the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowls and led them to a victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, also won a BCS National Championship in 2004 as the head coach of the University of Southern California. He coached three Heisman Trophy winners at USC — Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

Carroll has 18 years of NFL head-coaching experience, 14 of which came with Seattle, where he posted a 137-89 record in the regular season and an 11-11 record in the NFL playoffs. He spent nine years as head coach at USC, where he posted a 97-19 record and a 7-2 record in bowl games.

Brian Flores

Flores is in his second season as defensive coordinator for the Vikings and brings two decades of NFL coaching experience with him.

In 2024, Flores’ defense finished tied-for-first in turnovers (33), second in rushing yards allowed per game (93.4) and fifth in total points allowed per game (19.5).

In his first season in Minnesota, Flores helped the Vikings defense improve from 31st overall in 2022 to 16th in 2023, which included top-eight rankings in both rushing yards per play (fourth) and rushing yards per game (eighth).

The Vikings led the NFL in forced fumbles with 21, three more than any other team in the league. It marked the most forced fumbles in a single season in franchise history since 2007, when the team also forced 21 fumbles.

Before arriving in Minnesota, Flores spent one season with the Steelers in 2022. His defense in Pittsburgh surrendered seven TD runs, which was tied for the fewest in football with the Patriots.

Flores was head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21. The Dolphins posted back-to-back winning seasons from 2020-21 for the first time since 2002-03 under Flores. Another niche stat under Flores was that Miami became the first team in NFL history to lose seven straight games and then win seven in a row.

He posted a 24-25 record as head coach of the Dolphins.

Before taking the head coaching job in Miami, Flores spent 15 seasons with New England (2004-18), where he served in seven different positions and coached all three phases of the game.

Marcus Freeman

Despite recently agreeing to a long-term contract extension to stay in South Bend, the Bears are still expressing interest in Notre Dame’s head football coach.

According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, are looking to interview Freeman for their vacant head-coaching position.

Freeman is on the precipice of making history with the Fighting Irish. If Notre Dame beats Ohio State in the CFP National Championship on Jan. 20, he will become the first Black and Asian American head coach to win a college football national championship game.

Freeman is 33-9 as head coach of the Fighting Irish and currently owns a 5-1 record in bowl/playoff games after defeating Penn State in an instant classic Friday.

According to NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach, Freeman and Notre Dame reportedly agreed to a four-year extension in mid-December.

Aaron Glenn

Glenn has been the Lions’ defensive coordinator since 2021 and has more than 25 years of combined experience in the NFL between playing, coaching and working in the front office.

“He’s got great vision for putting a plan together,” Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said. “He understands football very well. And when you start talking about his leadership, he’s one of these guys, he’s special. He’s special. He’s got it. His ability to communicate, to relate, to push, to grind, to love, demand, he’s got it all.

“He’s an outstanding communicator, he’s an outstanding teacher. I’m fortunate that he’s on staff with me.”

In 2024, Detroit gave up the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL at 98.4 yards per game, and the seventh-fewest points per game at 20.1.

Glenn’s defensive unit was one of the best run defenses in franchise history and the NFL in 2023. The Lions only allowed 100-or-more rushing yards in five games that season, holding opponents to double-digit rushing totals in 12 games. This led the NFL and ranked second in franchise history in any season since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger.

Ben Johnson

Johnson has served as Detroit’s offensive coordinator for the last three seasons and is arguably the most highly sought-after coaching candidate in the 2025 hiring cycle.

“I think Ben’s a rock star, man,” Campbell said. “He’s a young guy, but he’s kind of gone a little longer, harder road to get to where he’s at. He’s been around some really good coaches, now, some guys who have coached some pretty good quarterbacks. Just being around Mike Sherman when I was with him down there (in Miami). Joe Philbin, who was with (Aaron) Rodgers. Then he’s with (Adam) Gase, who had (Peyton) Manning and those guys.

“So he understands quarterback play well. He was with Zac Taylor, who was with me in Miami. We were all together there in Miami. So, he understands it well.”

The Lions finished the 2024 season as the top scoring offense in football at 33.2 points per game, while also gaining the second-most total yards (6,962) behind the Baltimore Ravens (7,224). Their 39 TD passes ranked fourth in the NFL, while their 29 TD runs was tied for the second-most with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2023, Johnson’s offense ranked near the top of the NFL in several major categories, including second in passing offense, third in total offense and fifth in both rushing offense and points per game.

Johnson’s play-calling acumen has caught the eye of Caleb Williams, to the point the Bears’ rookie quarterback paid attention to Detroit when they have faced other opponents, and was taking notice mid-game against the Lions.

“Yeah, I think even watching last night, knowing kind of what they’re going to be in a certain situation, and being able to go out there and execute like the pass they threw to Jahmyr [Gibbs] on Van Ginkel,” Williams said last week. “Just knowing that you know how he’s going to play it, and things like that. And then go and kind of counter. I think he’s done things. He’s done that all year. And I think it’s been really cool to watch.

“I think during our game, I would sit back and just kind of watch and try and learn something. And I was fascinated to watch, because he always, like I said, he had wrinkles for counters and things like that throughout the game. And so I think he’s done really well. And so, you know, [it’ll] be cool to see how that all goes down.”

Before Detroit traveled to play in Chicago on Dec. 22, Johnson was asked about what he thought of Williams and the respect seems mutual between the two.

“It’s been difficult to sit down and just study every throw, but plenty of crossover tape over the course of the year and there’s no question this guy is talented,” Johnson said. “I remember standing on the sideline last game and you could hear the ball whistle by you. He’s got quite a fastball and has some creativity to him. He can extend plays and is accurate down the field as well … He’s been impressive from afar.”

Mike Kafka

Kafka was virtually interviewed on Jan. 9 and is in his third season as the Giants’ offensive coordinator.

The former Northwestern University quarterback’s most notable achievement in New York is helping coach undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito to win three consecutive starts in 2023. The last Giants quarterback to do that before DeVito was Phil Simms, who won four straight starts as a rookie in 1979.

He was just the third undrafted rookie quarterback since the 1970 merger to win three starts in a season, joining Ed Rubbert, who won three strike-replacement games for Washington in 1987, and Pittsburgh’s Devlin Hodges in 2019.

DeVito’s passer ratings in those three games were 137.7, 103.9 and 113.9. He was the first undrafted rookie since 1970 to have three consecutive games with a passer rating higher than 100. DeVito was the first Giants quarterback since Eli Manning in 2014 to record three straight games with a 100-plus passer rating.

Before coming to New York, Kafka spent five years on Andy Reid’s coaching staff in Kansas City, where he served as the team’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator from 2018-19.

The Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years in 2019 and Patrick Mahomes won his first NFL MVP award in 2018 when he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 TD passes.

Kliff Kingsbury

Kingsbury is in his first season as offensive coordinator for the Commanders and bears previous ties to Williams through their time together at USC.

As the architect behind Washington’s offense, Kingsbury oversaw the development of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels as the Commanders won 12 ballgames and made it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 TD passes compared to just nine interceptions, while also carrying the ball 148 times for 891 yards and six TD runs. 891 yards rushing is a single-season NFL record for rookie quarterbacks.

Before joining Washington’s coaching staff, Kingsbury was a senior offensive analyst at USC during 2023 — Williams’ last season in college before eventually being drafted No. 1 overall by the Bears in April.

Williams threw for 3,633 yards, 30 TD passes and five interceptions across 12 games played while being coached by an offensive staff that featured Kingsbury’s input. He was asked about Kingsbury on Jan. 2.

“I’ve been around Kliff. I know what type of guy he is. I know that he loves football. I know that he wants to win. He’s a competitor,” Williams said. “In many different aspects, I’ve been around him so, I’d say that I’ve been around him. I know him, asking him questions and things like that. If he was here, I’d probably have more to say but I think he fits a bunch of those qualities I said.”

A day prior, Kingsbury said he would like to be a head coach again someday, but “I’m very happy [in Washington].“

Mike McCarthy

Since the Cowboys denied Chicago’s interview request, the Bears will have to wait until Jan. 14 to interview McCarthy.

He is no stranger to the NFC North. Before he was hired to be the head coach of Dallas ahead of the 2020 NFL season, McCarthy spent 13 years as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.

He posted a 125-77-2 record at the helm of the Packers, which included a 19-7 record against the Bears, a 10-8 record in the playoffs, and winning Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ron Rivera

The Bears brought in Rivera Sunday for their eighth interview in Chicago’s search for a new head coach.

Rivera played nine seasons at linebacker for the Bears from 1984-92 and was a member of the famed defense that propelled them to the Super Bowl XX title in the 1985 season. He was not a starter that season, but he played in all 16 regular season games and all three playoff games, including the Super Bowl.

Rivera later served as the Bears’ defensive coordinator from 2004-06, which included a Super Bowl XLI appearance in the 2006 season.

Rivera went on to become a head coach for two teams, the Carolina Panthers from 2011-19 and the Washington Commanders from 2020-23. Rivera was twice named NFL Coach of the Year during his Carolina tenure, in 2013 and 2015, and guided the Panthers to a Super Bowl 50 appearance in that 2015 season.

Rivera has also interviewed for the New York Jets head coaching position.

Mike Vrabel

Vrabel was one of the more high-profile candidates available this offseason after leading the Tennessee Titans to a 54-45 record and three playoff appearances from 2018 to 2023.

He agreed to a deal to become New England’s next head coach Sunday, according to a post from the team on X.

The 2019 Titans advanced to the AFC Championship Game, losing to Patrick Mahomes and the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Tennessee combined to go 23-10 the next two seasons while capturing back-to-back AFC South championships, only to finish 7-10 in 2022 and 6-11 in 2023.

During his playing days, Vrabel was a hard-nosed linebacker and a vocal leader who played on three Super Bowl championship teams over a 14-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and the Chiefs from 1997 to 2010. He was voted first team All-Pro with the Patriots in 2007.