The Chicago Bears have announced more progress in their head-coaching search following another interview with an offensive-minded candidate.
The Bears announced Friday night that they completed an interview with Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, adding another impressive candidate with experience on offense to their growing list. Monken is the 13th candidate to interview.
“We have completed an interview with head coach candidate Todd Monken,” the Bears wrote on the team’s official X account on January 17.
Monken has been on a tear over the past four seasons of his career, giving his resume its most significant boost in the last two years coaching four-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense. Monken’s unit finished as the NFL’s No. 1 total offense, No. 1 rushing offense and No. 3 scoring offense during the 2024 season.
The Bears also announced they had completed an interview with Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady — No. 14 — later on Friday night following Monken’s interview. The timing of the two interviews is unique in the sense that both offensive coordinators will have a showdown in the AFC divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday when the Bills host the Ravens, allowing the Bears to evaluate them head-to-head.
The Bears have interviewed several reputable offensive coaches in the first 13 days of their search, including former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson — two of the market’s top names for 2025.
Todd Monken Criticizes NFL’s ‘Unfortunate’ Hiring Process
Monken has steadily worked his way into candidacy for an NFL head-coaching job with excellence in his past two gigs. As the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, he has done some of his best work in 2024, but he also helped guide Jackson to his second MVP honors in 2023 and presided over a unit that finished as the top rushing offense in the league.
Before joining the Ravens, Monken also spent three seasons working as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Georgia Bulldogs at the collegiate level. The Bulldogs averaged more than 38 points per game and finished as a top-10 offense in 2021 on their way to their first of two consecutive national championships, winning the second one in 2022 behind another top-10 offensive unit under Monken’s leadership.
As intriguing of a candidate as Monken is, though, he finds it “unfortunate” that the NFL makes him and other candidates like him interview during their playoff runs.
Under current NFL rules, Monken must schedule his interviews for head-coaching jobs between the Ravens’ playoff games. He is also only allowed to meet with teams virtually until either the Ravens are eliminated or they reach the Super Bowl, in which case he and other candidates like him — on Super Bowl teams — can interview during the bye.
“I don’t think there’s any easy way [to fix it], or they’d already be doing it,” Monken said Thursday. “It is what it is. It’s like trying to figure out things. … They’ve been trying to figure it out. There’s no easy way. There’s no easy solution, so it is what it is.”
Bears’ Next Interview Phase Awaits After Divisional Round
The Bears have at least one more interview scheduled with Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores in the first phase of their interview process, but they are likely eager to reach the other side of the divisional round when the NFL permits them — and other teams with head-coaching vacancies — to start holding in-person interviews.
With a few exceptions, the Bears have been restricted to virtual interviews with many of their top candidates under current NFL rules. Teams can begin conducting in-person — or virtual — interviews with candidates on teams who have been eliminated starting on Monday, January 20, but they cannot speak to candidates on teams that reach either of the two conference championship games until the bye week ahead of the Super Bowl.
In other words, the Bears may silently root for the elimination of certain teams in the divisional round. They have virtually interviewed multiple candidates on playoff teams, including Monken, Brady, Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, but they will find it difficult to progress with any of them if they stay alive in the postseason.
The Bears did hold in-person interviews with both McCarthy and Ron Rivera, as NFL rules did not disqualify either candidate, but there is little doubt they will need more in-person talks with the rest of their candidate pool to make an informed decision.
Comments
Bears Make Announcement on Ravens’ Todd Monken Amid Coaching Search