Another team is looking for a head coach — and there’s a new potential candidate for the Bears to talk to.
The Cowboys decided Monday they would not bring back head coach Mike McCarthy, whose exclusive negotiating window was set to expire on Tuesday night, per NFL Network. That means the Cowboys will join the Bears, Jets, Saints, Jaguars and Raiders in looking for a new head coach. The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel on Sunday.
The Bears will be interested in McCarthy; last week, they asked permission to speak with him, which was denied by the Cowboys.
McCarthy won Super Bowl XLV with the Packers and has a street named after him in the Green Bay area. It’s unclear if that would be a deal-breaker for chairman George McCaskey, who so despises the Bears’ rivals that he said “Go Birds!” at the end of his otherwise serious press conference last week. The Eagles beat the Packers on Sunday to knock them out of the playoffs.
McCarthy went 125-77-2 in 13 seasons with the Packers before being fired in the middle of the 2018 season. He joined the Cowboys in 2020 and went 49-35. The Cowboys ranked first in the NFL in points during his four seasons and fourth once. They reached the playoffs three times in his five seasons.
McCarthy, who called plays for the Cowboys last year, has an offensive pedigree that appeals to the Bears. Quarterback Caleb Williams grew up idolizing Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who teamed with McCarthy to win the Super Bowl.
