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The Leslie Frazier talk is getting a bit louder in and around Chicago.
With the Bears rumored to be in the market for a new head coach at season’s end, potential candidates to replace Matt Nagy are being discussed in numerous circles, and Dan Wiederer of The Chicago Tribune went all in on current Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier as someone the Bears should look at.
Frazier coached the Minnesota Vikings from 2010-13, amassing 21-32 record, and Wiederer says there are many in league circles who believe he deserves another chance noting one former prominent Super Bowl-winning coach has endorsed Frazier, as well.
“No matter who at Halas Hall ends up overseeing a coaching search, Frazier deserves serious consideration,” Wiederer wrote on December 30. “There has been a belief in several circles for a while now that Frazier is not only deserving of another head coaching opportunity but that he will thrive once he gets it. One of the most heartfelt endorsements comes from Tony Dungy, a longtime friend and a firm believer in Frazier’s leadership approach.”
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NFL Insiders Connected Frazier to Chicago in December
ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported in early December that there was “a fair bit of smoke” surrounding Frazier and the team he won a Super Bowl with after the 1985 season. Frazier played cornerback for the Bears from 1981-85, and he has been coaching in some form since 1988.
“In this business, we talk so much about the relationships and the harmony needed between a GM, a head coach, an owner and how that has to be in place,” Dungy told Wiederer. “You’d have to search long and hard to find somebody who wouldn’t be able to work with Leslie Frazier.”
It’s entirely possible Bears Chairman George McCaskey would entertain the idea of Frazier, who was a former mentor to ex-Bears head coach Lovie Smith, the last coach to take Chicago to a Super Bowl after the 2006 season.
“The McCaskeys have great respect for Smith,” Dan Pompei of The Athletic wrote on November 25. Considering Frazier’s connection to Lovie, it’s not out of the question McCaskey family might be interested in him.
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What About Justin Fields?
The current Bills DC has had great success in Buffalo, also serving as assistant head coach for the Bills. The Buffalo defense is currently No. 1 in the NFL in yards allowed (287.9) and 2nd in points allowed (17.6).
There’s little doubt Frazier would be a solid leader and a capable defensive mind, but where would that leave rookie QB Justin Fields? Dungy says not to worry about that.
“Dungy stressed that when he is asked to speak to NFL owners or general managers or search firms in their quests to fill head coaching vacancies, he warns them against being single-minded in the pursuit of an offensively gifted coach who can take their quarterback to a new level,” Wiederer reports. “Instead, he tells them, identify a leader with an ability to see a bigger picture and energize a team.”
“Leslie is special,” Dungy told Wiederer. “With his connection to the Bears and knowing that city, the organization and the mentality there, I don’t know how you couldn’t give him serious consideration. … Les knows how to galvanize people. He brings players together. And he has always had a good vision for how to get the most out of people.”
Considering Frazier’s connections, it’s not outlandish to assume he could surround Fields with solid football minds who could get the most out of him while also helping him develop.
Stay tuned, Bears Nation. It’s looking like there’s one potential Nagy replacement to keep an eye on.
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