Latest on the Bears Coaching Search: Who's been linked to Chicago, how do players feel about the search and top candidates

Brian Flores

The Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator's name continues to be linked to the Bears over the past few days given his history with general manager Ryan Poles and president Kevin Warren, the two people leading this search.

NFL Insider Albert Breer, who usually has a strong finger on the coaching cycle every year, said earlier in the week that the Bears will take "a long look" at Flores and have already gotten great reviews from people in Minnesota vouching for him.

The main thing Flores will have to answer for is about how things went down after being let go as the Miami Dolphins' head coach in 2021. In those three seasons, Flores had a soured relationship with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and went through four different offensive coordinators. Those two things raise major red flags when it comes to how Flores would make things different in Chicago with Williams at QB.

“I stand on it – Caleb is going to need some stability,” Bears' cornerback Jaylon Johnson said via  670 the Score. “I know of course, throughout my career, quarterbacks haven’t had stability here in Chicago... if you don’t have somebody who’s going to be here for a long time that you can develop with and grow and learn a system, then it’s not going to be good for that team. To me, it starts with stability and having a head coach or offensive coordinator that you can build with."

Mike Vrabel

The Bears are a little behind the ball on this one. It was reported earlier in the week that Mike Vrabel's consulting agreement with the Cleveland Browns expired on Monday, meaning he is free to interview with any of the current head coach openings. Earlier this morning, The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported that Vrabel will conduct an interview on Friday at the Jets' facility.

The former Tennessee Titans' head coach is heavily expected to be back in a head coaching position somewhere after taking a year off and working with the Browns. Vrabel's resume speaks for itself after creating a winning culture in Tennessee with multiple different offensive coordinators.

Breer added back on December 17th that Vrabel is at the top of the Bears' wish list as a coach that can become a program leader in Chicago. Vrabel also already has a former player who's now a team captain in Chicago voicing his support.

"He's definitely one of my all-time favorite coaches," safety Kevin Byard explained. "Probably the smartest football mind that I've ever been around. One of the few coaches that I've been around that was involved in everything."

Kliff Kingsbury

When it comes to connecting the next head coach to the team's quarterback of the future, no candidate has a stronger relationship with Caleb Williams than Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

The two worked together at USC while Kingsbury was a senior offensive analyst on the staff. When conducting the offensive coordinator search last offseason, the Bears met multiple times with Kingsbury before drafting Williams with the first overall pick. The Bears settled on Shane Waldron for the role while Kingsbury landed as an OC in Washington coaching the second overall pick, Jayden Daniels.

On Thursday, Kingsbury was asked about his interest in becoming an NFL head coach again and added that's something he would be interested in "at some point" but didn't specifically say whether or not he would take interviews this offseason. While speaking to the media on Wednesday, Williams lobbied for his former coach.

"I know what type of guy he is. I know he loves football. I know he wants to win. He's a competitor," Williams explained. "I think obviously if he was here I'd probably have more to say. But I think he fits a bunch of those qualities that I said. A coach that challenges myself, whether it's an offensive coordinator or head coach, and also challenges us as players — whether it's on the field or character, doesn't matter. Just a coach that challenges us. A man of his word. A discipline coach, meaning whatever his rules are or whatever he's gonna bring rule-wise, how he's going to control the team and manage and control the team, things like that."

Pete Carroll

News dropped out of nowhere on Thanksgiving Day by ESPN Insider Adam Schefter that former Seattle Seahawks' head coach Pete Carroll would be interested in the Bears' head coaching position. It was later added that the Bears would also be interested in sitting down with the 73-year-old coach.

Carroll's success as a head coach speaks for itself, both in the NFL and at the college level. There's no doubt that he can create a winning locker room and help turn around a team that has lost its way. Age is going to be a major concern with considering Carroll, but wide receiver DJ Moore had great things to say about him last week.

“He’s respected, and he has done it at a high level. Everybody would have to pay attention and listen. Because he has done it already.” Moore said via 670 The Score.

Mike McCarthy

Pete Carroll isn't the only former Super Bowl winning head coach that would be interested in joining the Bears. On Thursday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Dallas Cowboys' head coach Mike McCarthy "could set his sights on Chicago" if he were to leave Dallas after the 2024 season.

On January 14th, McCarthy's contract with the Cowboys will expire, unless the organization can reach a new deal with the coach who's won 12 regular season games in three of his five seasons with the team.

If McCarthy were to depart from Dallas, he would be a polarizing candidate to consider. His former players love him, he's been a winner with two different storied franchises, and has the ability to elevate his quarterback. It'll be important to monitor McCarthy's status in Dallas in the coming days to see if he would become available.