INDIANAPOLIS — As former Seahawks and USC coach Pete Carroll eyed job openings in his push to return to the NFL, the Bears were one of the first teams linked to him. And when the Bears launched their interview process early last month, he was one of the first candidates with whom they met.
Carroll, who was hired by the Raiders shortly after the Bears chose Ben Johnson, said Tuesday he was drawn to the opportunity to join “a historic franchise” located in “a great city and liked their outlook with Caleb Williams at quarterback.
“They haven’t won a lot recently — it’s a big challenge, a big opportunity to turn things around,” he said. “I feel pretty confident about having an effect as we start a change like this. I’ve been through it a couple of times. There’s an excitement about that in that setting, to get that thing turned around in that division that’s so tough, just like ours is now.
“There was just a lot of really positive things about it. Of course, the quarterback was an exciting part of it. The Trojan background and all that kind of stuff was fun.”
Carroll, 73, arguably was the most accomplished coach the Bears interviewed. In 18 NFL seasons, he is 170-120-1 in the regular season and has 11 playoff wins, including a Super Bowl. He also won two championships at USC, where Williams played years later.
