Controversial Super Bowl-Winning Coach Floated as Option to Be Bears’ Next OC

Getty Head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.

On November 12, the Chicago Bears announced they fired former OC Shane Waldron and promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown to take his place.

With just eight games remaining on the team’s regular season schedule, Brown has his work cut out for him. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has been struggling, and the Bears face three tough divisional opponents in their next three games. The Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings are all on the docket next, and each is above .500. What happens if Brown can’t help elevate Williams and the Bears’ offense continues to struggle?

In his November 11 column, Bears insider Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune floated former NFL head coach Jon Gruden as a very distant possibility, suggesting Bears head coach Matt Eberflus could look “outside the organization and call someone like Jon Gruden, although that seems highly unlikely.”

While Biggs named Gruden as an option before Brown was hired, another prominent league insider believes the Bears could still add someone from the outside to assist Brown, who has only called plays for six games over his coaching career.

Would Jon Gruden Be a Good Fit as OC for the Chicago Bears?

Gruden hasn’t coached in the NFL since 2021, when he was fired by the Las Vegas Raiders — more on that later. The offensive-minded Gruden also recently signed a multi-year deal with Barstool Sports.

He first gained prominence as the head coach of the Raiders from 1998 to 2001, where he turned the struggling franchise around, taking them to the playoffs in 2000 and 2001.

Gruden’s most famous achievement came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom he coached from 2002 to 2008. After being traded from the Raiders to the Buccaneers in a historic deal that involved multiple draft picks and cash, Gruden led Tampa Bay to victory in Super Bowl 37 in his first season.

The Bears’ 277.7 yards per game on offense is currently ranked 30th out of 32 teams, and they’re averaging under 170 passing yards per contest, also ranked 30th. Considering Brown served as the passing game coordinator before his recent promotion, it’s fair to wonder how much the team will improve under his watch.

“Maybe the Bears will go outside the organization now to fill that void, and get Brown some help. Judging by how the offense has played, the staff could certainly use some,” NFL insider Albert Breer wrote on November 12.

Would Gruden be willing to leave his new media role for an OC gig? Probably. Would the Bears be interested? That’s another story.

Gruden Hit a Wall of Controversy in 2021

Gruden first came under fire during his second stint with the Raiders, when a series of leaked emails from 2011 to 2018 — revealed in an investigation by the NFL — exposed Gruden using racist, misogynistic and homophobic language.

His comments on league commissioner Roger Goodell and his use of racial tropes about NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith further intensified the backlash, ultimately leading to Gruden’s resignation in October 2021.

While he once led a dominant Bucs squad to a Super Bowl victory in the late 1990s, his coaching techniques came into question over 20 years later.

During his second tenure with the Raiders, he made several high-profile personnel decisions that backfired, including trading away star players like Khalil Mack (Bears fans remember that trade well) and Amari Cooper while investing in other players with mixed results. His approach often clashed with modern NFL philosophies, and some argued that his strategies were outdated, questioning his ability to adapt to the evolving league dynamics.

His controversial exit from Las Vegas is likely a big enough deterrent for the Bears, but never say never. Much will depend on how Brown steers the offense over the next several weeks. Stay tuned.