Bears will have to pivot away from this head coaching candidate

As the Chicago Bears are looking for their new head coach, one name they can cross off their list is Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy's five-year contract with the Cowboys is set to expire within the next few days but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones denied the Bears' request to interview McCarthy, implying he'll get a new one and remain in Dallas.

Following the Cowboys' 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Jones sung McCarthy's praise.

"Mike's one of the best coaches that I think there is," Jones told ESPN's Todd Archer. "He was made the coach here because I thought that, and he's done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach."

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If McCarthy won't be making the move to the Windy City where do the Bears go from here? Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Tuesday that Chicago will be "cast[ing] a wide net. It's going to be a diverse group. This will be different backgrounds from offense, defense, special teams, college, pro." Missing out on McCarthy might not be the worst thing to happen to the Bears with how many coaches in which they've shown interest.

Chicago plans to interview former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll on Thursday, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler. Carroll has expressed interest in returning to the sidelines in 2025 after taking 2024 off and Chicago, with a young quarterback and a defense that was good in the red zone this year, could be a good landing spot for Carroll.

ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter has reported that the Bears also requested to interview Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and their own interim head coach Thomas Brown.

There's Poles' wide net. Expect the Bears' interview request list to grow in the coming days. For those betting on the Bears' next head coach, or just diehard Bears fans wondering if their team will finally get the head coach they need look no further than division rival offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. That's the hire the Bears need to make to unlock Caleb Williams and begin to compete in the NFC again.

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