Bears linked to Bill Belichick by NFL insider

NFL insider Mike Florio recently named the Bears as one of the teams on his “Belichick Watch List” before next season.

“The franchise oozes history,” Florio wrote. “The city, which feels like the offspring of New York and Pittsburgh, oozes football. The roster oozes talent, except on the offensive line. Would the Bears pay Belichick? Maybe not. Or maybe, if they think he’s the guy who can take the team back to the kind of level that will stir up enough public money to pay for a new stadium.”

The money needed to pay Belichick wouldn’t be a small amount. Per Bloomberg, the New England Patriots paid Belichick $25 million to coach their 4-13 team in 2023.

$25 million is a large number for a coach who hasn’t had back-to-back winning seasons since Tom Brady was his quarterback.

While the Bears would arguably have more talent than Belichick had in the rebuild surrounding Mac Jones, there’s no guarantee a 73-year-old coach would be the right fit for Williams.

Would the Bears move on from Matt Eberflus?

Then there’s the issue of Eberflus.

General manager Ryan Poles seems content to let Matt Eberflus run his team. He could have let him go before selecting a rookie quarterback in April. (Poles claimed not to reach out to Jim Harbaugh after Michigan’s national title.) Poles might be willing to give Eberflus a pass this season, regardless of the Bears’ final record, because the team has a rookie quarterback.

Frankly, the Bears don’t seem like a logical option to land Belichick.

Related: Belichick trashes Caleb Williams’ preseason