Updated list of head coach, GM candidates Bears have interviewed
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The Chicago Bears are in the middle of their search for a new general manager and head coach after firing Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy last week.
The Bears have cast a wide net of candidates for their vacant GM and head coach jobs, and the first round of interviews have continued into this week.
Chairman George McCaskey, President/CEO Ted Phillips, Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, VP of Player Engagement Lamar ‘Soup’ Campbell and Senior VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tanesha Wade will be conducting the GM search for the Bears, where they’ve been conducting interviews.
Below is a running list of the head coaching and GM candidates the Bears have requested to interview or have interviewed. Keep checking back for updates.
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HEAD COACH CANDIDATES
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Dennis Allen, Saints defensive coordinator
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Interview: TBD
Dennis Allen has been the Saints defensive coordinator since 2015, slowly turning them from one of the worst defenses in the league, to one of the best over the course of seven seasons. He also spent time with the Saints in the mid-to-late 2000s as a positional coach on the defense, helping them win Super Bowl XLIV before getting his first crack as a defensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos in 2011.
Todd Bowles, Buccaneers defensive coordinator
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Interviewing Jan. 22
Todd Bowles boasts more than 20 years of NFL coaching experience, which includes previously serving as the New York Jets head coach from 2015-18. While that didn’t wind up being a success, that’s not to say he can’t find success in his next stop. Bowles is someone with past coaching experience and with a defensive background, which would make finding a top offensive coordinator to develop quarterback Justin Fields and get this Bears offense on track a top priority.
Jim Caldwell, Former Lions/Colts head coach
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Jim Caldwell served as the head coach of the Colts (2009-11) and Lions (2014-17), and he most recently served as the Miami Dolphins assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach under Brian Flores in 2019. Caldwell boasts nearly 20 years of NFL coaching experience, which includes stops as offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens (2013) and quarterbacks coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001), Colts (2002-08) and Ravens (2012).
Brian Daboll, Bills offensive coordinator
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Brian Daboll has worked in the NFL since 2000, where he’s served as offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (2009-10), Miami Dolphins (2011), Kansas City Chiefs (2012) and now the Buffalo Bills (2018-present). He also served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017.
Matt Eberflus, Colts defensive coordinator
USA Today Sports
Matt Eberflus has been coaching in the NFL since 2009, where he served as linebackers coach for the Cleveland Browns (2009-10) and Dallas Cowboys (2011-17) before becoming the Colts defensive coordinator in 2018. Eberflus interviewed for head coaching jobs with the New York Jets and Houston Texans last year.
Brian Flores, Former Dolphins head coach
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The biggest shock on Black Monday was the Dolphins firing Brian Flores, who found success in Miami with roster problems. In three years with the Dolphins, Flores had a 24-25 record, which was quite an accomplishment given the circumstances. Most recently, Flores led Miami to within one game of the postseason on a 8-1 run after a 1-7 start. Flores is expected to be a prime candidate to get head coaching consideration during this coaching cycle.
Leslie Frazier, Bills defensive coordinator
AP Photo/Adrian Kraus
Leslie Frazier boasts over 20 years of NFL coaching experience, including serving as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2011-13. He’s served as a defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals (2003-04), Vikings (2007-10), Buccaneers (2014-15) and now Bills (2017-21). He also played for the Bears and was a member of that 1985 Super Bowl team.
Nathaniel Hackett, Packers offensive coordinator
USA Today Sports
Nathaniel Hackett has served as the offensive coordinator for the Packers, Jaguars and Bills. He’s been with Green Bay as offensive coordinator since 2019, where he’s helped lead the Packers’ high-powered offense. Having worked with Aaron Rodgers, he’s someone who could be good for quarterback Justin Fields.
Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers offensive coordinator
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Byron Leftwich has learned under one of the best in Bruce Arians and won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady. While many will be quick to point to Brady as the main reason for Tampa Bay’s success, Leftwich led a top offense with Jameis Winston back in 2019. Leftwich has called plays for the Buccaneers for the last two seasons, where he’s had a chance to build his offense. He started his coaching career with the Arizona Cardinals, where he served as quarterback coach (2017-18) and served as interim offensive coordinator (2018).
Doug Pederson, Former Eagles head coach
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Doug Pederson has a decade-plus of coaching experience and is famously from the Andy Reid coaching tree. He led the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship in 2017, and he had some solid years with Carson Wentz. Pederson actually was a guest of Matt Nagy’s this past training camp, where he spent some time with quarterback Justin Fields.
Dan Quinn, Cowboys defensive coordinator
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Before serving as Cowboys defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn served as the Falcons head coach from 2015 to 2020. Quinn is a defensive-minded head coaching prospect who boasts 20 years of NFL coaching experience and could certainly be an intriguing option for the Bears, who reportedly were considering hiring Quinn back in 2015 before going with John Fox.
GM CANDIDATES
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Browns VP of Football Operations
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, a graduate from Princeton, was the director of football research in San Francisco before serving as the Browns’ VP of Football Operations. Even during his short tenure, he’s garnered attention as a GM candidate. Adofo-Mensah interviewed for the Carolina Panthers GM opening last season.
Morocco Brown, Colts Director of College Scouting
AP Photo
Morocco Brown makes a ton of sense for the Bears as he spent seven years with the organization as their assistant director of pro personnel from 2001-07. He’s served as the right-hand man to Colts GM Chris Ballard, where he’s been a big part of the success that Indianapolis has had in the NFL draft. According to Adam Hoge, Brown is a “strong” candidate for the job.
Ran Carthon, 49ers Director of Player Personnel
AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn
Ran Carthon, who’s dream has been to land the role of GM with an NFL team, started his career as a pro scout with the Falcons from 2008-11. He later joined the Rams as director of player personnel (2012-16) before assuming the role of director of pro personnel with the 49ers (2017-Present). Carthon manages the pro scouting department, does advance scouting and helps the team make acquisitions.
Glenn Cook, Browns VP of Player Personnel
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Glenn Cook served as the Browns’ Assistant Director of Pro Scouting from 2016-19 before being promoted to VP of Player Personnel. Cook also spent time with the Green Bay Packers as a pro scout from 2012-15.
Ed Dodds | Colts Assistant GM, VP of Player Personnel
AP Photo
Ed Dodds is considered one of the NFL’s most respected talent evaluators, and he’s someone who could finally get an opportunity to serve as GM. Dodds has worked alongside Colts GM Chris Ballard since 2017, where he was promoted to assistant GM in 2018, and previously spent the previous 10 years with the Seattle Seahawks, where he helped build their Super Bowl roster. Last year, Dodds received interest from the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers, interview for both vacant GM positions.
Jeff Ireland, Saints Assistant GM
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Jeff Ireland is someone who has ties to the Bears organization, as he served as a ball boy for the team at 12 years old when his grandfather Jim Parmer was a Bears scout. As far as experience, Ireland has worked in the Saints’ personnel department since 2017. The Saints are an organization that Chicago would certainly like to replicate, and Ireland has been part of New Orleans’ success. Ireland has also served as the Dolphins GM from 2008-13 after seven seasons with the Cowboys, which included a stint as VP of college and pro scouting.
Champ Kelly, Bears Assistant Director of Player Personnel
AP Photo
Champ Kelly, who has been with the Bears since 2015, was promoted to his current role in 2017, where he’s been responsible for evaluating draft players, pro stuff and has even served as a conduit between the front office and a lot of the players, per Dan Pompei. Kelly has previously interviewed for GM openings with the Denver Broncos (2021) and New York Jets (2019).
Omar Khan, Steelers VP of Football and Business Administration
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Interview: TBD
Omar Khan has been with Pittsburgh since 2001, where he served as football administration coordinator. He was promoted to director of football administration in 2011 before landing his current role in 2016. Before joining the Steelers, Khan worked with the New Orleans Saints from 1997-2001. But there are reports that Steelers GM Kevin Colbert is expected to step down, and Khan would certainly be the favorite to succeed him.
Reggie McKenzie | Dolphins senior personnel executive
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Reggie McKenzie boasts 27 years of NFL experience, where he’s served as a senior personnel executive with the Dolphins since 2019. Before that, McKenzie was the general manager for the Oakland Raiders from 2012-18. He got his start with the Green Bay Packers as a pro personnel assistant (1994-96) before being promoted to pro personnel director (1997-2007). He was Green Bay’s director of football operations from 2008-11.
Monti Ossenfort, Titans Director of Player Personnel
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Ossenfort has over 20 years of NFL experience, and he’s served as Tennessee’s director of player personnel for the last two years. Before that, he was with the Patriots from 2003-19, which included serving as New England’s director of college scouting from 2014-19.
Ryan Poles, Chiefs Executive Director of Player Personnel
Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Interview: TBD
Ryan Poles is considered a rising star within the Chiefs organization. He got his start as a scouting assistant with Kansas City in 2009 before making his ascent within the organization. He was promoted to director of college scouting in 2016 before he was promoted once more to assistant director of player personnel in 2018. Poles recently stepped into the role as Chiefs’ executive director of player personnel. He was a finalist for the Panthers GM job last offseason.
Joe Schoen, Bills Assistant GM
AP Photo
Joe Schoen currently serves as GM Brandon Beane’s assistant in Buffalo. Schoen got his start with the Carolina Panthers, where he interned and later served as a scouting assistant in 2001. He served as the Miami Dolphins assistant director of college scouting before being promoted to director of player personnel (2014-17). Schoen spent his first five years with Miami as one of the team’s national scouts.
Rick Smith, Former Texans GM
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Interview: TBD
Rick Smith took an expansion franchise and turned them into a playoff contender. Smith served as the Texans GM from 2006-2017 before stepping away to be with his wife, who was battling breast cancer. Houston hired a new GM and things went downhill for the franchise at that point. Smith has been out of the game for four years, and he could be looking for another opportunity.
Eliot Wolf, Patriots Director of Scouting
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Eliot Wolf spent his first 13 years with the Packers. He started as a pro personnel assistant in 2004 and climbed his way to director of football operations in 2016. He left Green Bay to serve as the Browns assistant GM (2018-19) and currently serves as director of scouting with New England. The Patriots reorganized their front office this year, and Wolf is believed to be a big part of that.
JoJo Wooden, Chargers Director of Player Personnel
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Interview: TBD
JoJo Wooden joined the Chargers back in 2013, where he oversees the pro and college scouting departments, and he appears poised to take the next step as a general manager. Before joining the Chargers, he spent 16 seasons with the New York Jets from 1997-2012, where he spent six years as their Assistant Director of Player Personnel. Wooden interviewed for the Washington Football Team GM opening last offseason.
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