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Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy says he’s planning on coaching the final two games of the 2021 season.
There have been rumors of his exit for over a month now, but when Nagy was asked on December 27 whether he would be coaching the team Weeks 17 and 18, his answer was straightforward: “Yes.”
It seems unlikely, then, that the Bears will be taking advantage of a new rule that would allow them to talk to potential replacements the final two weeks of the season. If NFL teams inform their head coaches they will be fired after the season but don’t fire them immediately, those teams can begin interviewing new prospective coaching candidates heading into Week 17. It’s possible the Bears have already spoken to Nagy and informed him of his impending release at season’s end. It’s also possible they plan on doing it in a few weeks when the season is officially over.
Top NFL insider Ian Rapoport also noted that’s the likely scenario, saying it was “pretty clear” Nagy is about done in Chicago.
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It’s Possible Bears Are Waiting to Completely Clean House at Season’s End
NFL insider Albert Breer noted that Chicago’s Week 16 comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks may have been enough to keep Nagy around
“The Bears’ dramatic win may have gotten Matt Nagy a stay-of-execution,” Breer wrote on December 27.
The Bears have never fired a head coach in franchise history, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to start now. That said, it’s also possible the team plans on waiting until the end of the season so it can fire Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace both at once. If Chicago is considering parting ways with Pace — and that’s one of many options right now — it’s likely not going to seek his opinion on new head coaching hires.
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Nagy Sounds Like He Knows the End is Near
Based on his recent comments, Nagy sounds like a man who knows his days are numbered.
“Even for me, learning how to be on a team that has a losing record isn’t easy but you gotta be able to persevere, you gotta fight and you have to be able to give it everything you have and have no regrets,” Nagy said after the team’s Week 16 comeback win over the Seattle Seahawks. “And so, I can only do so much as a coach. We can only do do much as coaches.”
“When the players go out and do what they do and show to us as coaches that they’re going to play hard,” Nagy added, “the last couple weeks, they’ve done that. It means a lot to me. … When you lose, it’s really freaking hard. How do you learn from those moments? I’m taking a lot from these moments that we have. Right now, today, the only thing I’m proud and happy about is for those players in that locker room to be able to enjoy that win from tonight. They deserve it. For the coaches, too. For me, I’m just proud to be a part of it.”
It sounds like he’ll continue to be a part of it for at least two more weeks.
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