Chicago Bears fans remember Josh McCown well. He only spent two season with the team, but he gave former starter Jay Cutler a run for his money in that span.
Many thought he should have been named the starter over Cutler during the 2013 season, when McCown filled in for the injured Bears starter. McCown topped Cutler in completion percentage, average yards per game, average yards-per-attempt and NFL passer efficiency rating that season, but when Cutler returned from his groin injury, then-Bears coach Marc Trestman benched McCown.
The journeyman QB finished with a 13-1 touchdown-interception ratio for the Bears as a sometimes-starter that season, and he wound up playing in 102 games over his NFL career, retiring after the 2020 season.
With the Bears in the market for new leadership after firing former coach Matt Nagy and McCown no longer active in the league, one Bears analyst is pushing for Chicago to give the ex-QB an interview for the vacant coaching position.
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McCown Gets Push From Bears Analyst
Jon Greenberg of The Athletic pushed for the Bears to bring McCown in for an interview, adding the Bears should along seek out the thoughts and opinions of established alumni when making certain football decisions.
“I’d contact Earl Bennett, the former Bears receiver who is getting his Ph.D. in education and working for the football team at his alma mater, Vanderbilt,” Greenberg wrote on January 11, adding:
“Earl is extremely bright and I know he has thoughts on his Bears experience. I’d also call Josh McCown, who was so beloved in Lake Forest that he positively impacted the life of noted curmudgeon Jay Cutler. On that note, I’d even give McCown a head coaching interview just to hear what he has to say. Most people think McCown will be a coach in the NFL in the near future, why not in Chicago?”
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McCown Has Expressed Interest in Coaching Professionally
The Houston Texans were rumored to be interested in McCown on some coaching capacity last year, but that never materialized. The recently-retired QB noted he sees the profession in his near future, however.
“I believe so,” McCown said about his interest in coaching back in November of 2020, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN, adding:
“If you’d asked me that 10 years ago, I would’ve said no way, that’s not what I want to do at this level. My dream coming out of college had I not been able to play in the NFL was to coach high school football … I really thought that was going to be my path. But the longer I’ve been in this game and been around these guys, I see real value in being able to be a part of an organization and compete at the highest level. … Yeah, one of these days, whenever that happens, whenever I finally take the cleats off, I definitely see that in the future.”
The cleats are finally off after his 18 years in the NFL, but is he what the Bears need right now? While it’s an interesting idea, a first-time head coach may not be the best way to jump start a flailing organization. Young QB Justin Fields will need all the help he can get to further his development, and coaches with experience seem more ideal for Chicago.
It still might be worth a phone call, though, as McCown was well-respected and universally liked wherever he played. Maybe he’d be interested in starting out as a QBs coach.
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Bears Urged to Seek Out Former Starting QB as Next Head Coach