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McCarthy met with the Bears two days after a
split with Dallas after five years in what Cowboys owner Jerry
Jones described as a mutual agreement. McCarthy’s contract
expired on Jan. 8 following a 7-10 season. Dallas was 12-5 each
of the three years before that, but still hasn’t been past the
divisional round of the NFC playoffs since its last Super Bowl
at the end of the 1995 season.
Before taking the Dallas job after a full season out of
coaching, McCarthy was with the Packers for 13 seasons and had a
125-77-2 record from 2006-18. He was 10-8 in the playoffs and
led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title 14 years ago.
Smith was hired by the Steelers a year ago after coaching
Atlanta to a 21-30 record from 2021 to 2023. The Falcons were
7-10 in each of his three seasons before firing him.
The Steelers went from tying for 27th in scoring in 2023 to
finishing 16th this past season, after signing Russell Wilson
and acquiring Justin Fields from Chicago to play quarterback.
The Bears are looking to replace Matt Eberflus, who was fired on
Nov. 29. Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 5-12 and lost
10 in a row before closing the season with a win at Green Bay.
The development of quarterback Caleb Williams will be the top
priority for the next coach in the wake of the Bears’ fourth
straight losing season. The No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, he
threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. But
he was sacked a franchise-record and league-leading 68 times.
The Bears have confirmed interviewing 12 candidates, a list
highlighted by Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson,
former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and former Tennessee
Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who got the New England job.
Chicago has also interviewed interim coach Thomas Brown, former
Carolina and Washington coach Ron Rivera, Detroit defensive
coordinator Aaron Glenn, former Stanford coach David Shaw,
Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, Miami
Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and New York
Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
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