The Chicago Bears made waves when they moved quickly to secure an interview with former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy following his spit with Dallas, but it turns out the Bears might not be as enamored with him as once believed.
The Bears announced on January 15 that they had interviewed McCarthy for their head-coaching vacancy with ESPN’s Courtney Cronin confirming the team would speak with McCarthy in person about the position — their second known in-person interview.
ESPN 1000’s Marc “Silvy” Silverman also reported before the interview that the Bears planned to “wine and dine” McCarthy afterward, suggesting their red-carpet treatment could indicate how seriously they are taking McCarthy’s candidacy. Days after the team spoke with McCarthy, though, Silverman revealed new information to the contrary.
According to Silverman, the Bears did not insist upon bringing in McCarthy for an in-person interview and would have been comfortable speaking virtually, but McCarthy “pressed the issue” to get an in-person meeting. He also added that while they planned to speak for several hours, their meeting “didn’t come close” to that length.
The new information about McCarthy’s interview does not eliminate his candidacy for the Bears’ head-coaching job, but it does throw cold water on the suggestion that he is their top candidate amid their search. It also raises the question about which candidate the Bears will make a priority — though, Silverman had insight into that topic as well.
Silverman: Bears Could Wait on Ben Johnson Decision
The buzz about McCarthy taking an in-person interview with the Bears jumped him up the list of potential options for Chicago’s next head coach. After learning the details of McCarthy’s interview, though, Silverman believes the Bears are keeping him in mind while focusing on their No. 1 choice: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
“Once I got that information that McCarthy was the one who pressed the issue of being here, I think they’re going to wait this thing until they’re told they’re out of the Ben Johnson sweepstakes,” Silverman said Friday.
The Bears completed a virtual interview with Johnson on January 11 during the Lions’ first-round bye in the playoffs, but Johnson has also spoken with three other teams — including the New England Patriots, who have since hired Mike Vrabel as head coach. The other two interested teams are the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders, the latter of whom has emerged as the Bears’ top competition to hire Johnson in 2025.
The Raiders have attempted to court Johnson in recent weeks with minority owner Tom Brady at the center of reports about their recruitment efforts. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, though, Johnson remains “squarely in phase one” of his process and is still attempting to gather information on which head-coaching job may best suit him.
“For Johnson, things are moving much more slowly than the ever-changing NFL news cycle,” Florio wrote Saturday.
Which Candidates Will Bears Call for Second Interviews?
The Bears have now completed interviews — either in person or virtually — with 15 different candidates for their head-coaching job after speaking with Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores over the past few days.
The question now is which among them will receive callbacks for a second interview?
At this junction, Johnson and McCarthy seem like safe bets to secure a second interview with the Bears, but Johnson’s availability for a second interview depends on whether the Lions advance to the conference championship this weekend. If they do, the Bears must wait until the bye week before the Super Bowl to speak with Johnson in person.
The Bears could also circle back to Monken, Brady and/or Flores in the second phase if they impressed during their virtual interviews. Monken and Brady both fit the bill as offensive-minded coaches who can help develop quarterback Caleb Williams, while Flores has built a strong reputation in the NFC North over the past two seasons.
Other candidates who have interviewed with the Bears include: Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith; Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn; New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka; Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver; former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Caroll; Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing; interim head coach Thomas Brown.
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Bears Get Bad News on Pursuit of Mike McCarthy as Head Coach