The Chicago Bears are less than a week away from beginning their search for their next head coach as Matt Nagy is expected to be fired following Sunday’s season finale.
While there are questions about other potential changes beyond head coach, this offseason is going to be an important one to help get the Bears on the right track.
There are a number of coaching candidates who have already been linked with the Bears, including Byron Leftwich, Josh McDaniels, Brian Daboll and Leslie Frazier.
But there’s a new name being linked to the Bears in Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is contemplating a return to the NFL. Chicago makes a ton of sense as a landing spot for Harbaugh.
Here’s why Harbaugh would be a great fit as the Bears’ next head coach:
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Harbaugh has proven NFL success
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
After taking a swing on an inexperienced head coach in Nagy, perhaps the best bet for the Bears would be to bring in someone who’s already been an NFL head coach. If Harbaugh were to become available, he’d easily be the best option on the market. Harbaugh has found plenty of success at the NFL level during his time with the San Francisco 49ers. In four years with the 49ers, Harbaugh compiled a 44-19-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance in his second season. He’s someone who has NFL connections and would be able to bring in some solid coordinators to run the show.
He has experience coaching a QB with similar skillset as Justin Fields
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
This offseason should be about prioritizing hopeful franchise quarterback Justin Fields, and that starts with getting the right head coach in place who understands how to put him in the best position to succeed. Harbaugh has experience coaching a quarterback with a similar skillset at Fields in Colin Kaepernick, who was the QB during San Francisco’s Super Bowl run. Most importantly, Harbaugh is someone who knows who to cater to his quarterback’s strengths, whether it’s Kaepernick in San Francisco, Andrew Luck at Stanford or Cade McNamara at Michigan. Plus, Harbaugh has already seen what Fields can do during his time at Ohio State, especially after Harbaugh’s Wolverines got blasted by the Buckeyes 56-27 in 2019.
Harabaugh understands the history in Chicago
Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK
A couple of years ago, a report surfaced from ESPN NFL analyst Jim Trotter that the Bears would be Harbaugh’s “dream job.” Which would make sense given Harbaugh started his playing career in Chicago, where he played for the team from 1987-1993. Harbaugh also understands exactly what it means to be a quarterback in Chicago and the history of the Bears franchise. Harbaugh’s draw to his former teams — including Michigan, where he’s served as their head football coach for the last seven years — shouldn’t be ignored.
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