• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chicago Sports Today

Chicago Sports News continuously updated

  • Bears
  • Baseball
    • Cubs
    • White Sox
  • Basketball
    • Bulls
    • Sky
  • Blackhawks
  • Colleges
    • DePaul
    • Illinois
    • Loyola
    • Northwestern
    • Notre Dame
    • UIC
    • Valparaiso
  • Soccer
    • Fire
    • Red Stars
  • Team Stores

Bears Fire Matt Eberflus

November 29, 2024 by Pro Football Rumors

Matt Eberflus offered the public remarks often made by head coaches on the hot seat in the wake of the Bears’ most recent loss. The franchise is nevertheless making an unprecedented in-season change on the sidelines.

Eberflus has been fired, as first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. His tenure in Chicago comes to an end after two-plus years at the helm of the team. He compiled a 14-32 record along the way, and the latest contribution to the team’s current six-game losing streak has marked the end of his first NFL head coaching gig. Recently-promoted offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will serve as interim head coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network adds.

Eberflus had a strong four-year run as the Colts’ defensive coordinator before being hired by the Bears to replace Matt Nagy. The 54-year-old was unable to guide the team to a run of success in two seasons with Justin Fields at quarterback, although during the second half of last year in particular the defense did show signs of improvement. A number of moves made this past offseason added new faces on offense, highlighted by the decision to move on from Fields and select Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. The latter’s rookie season has been marred by a string of close losses in recent weeks, several of which have increased the speculation Eberflus would not last the year.

Chicago had a 4-2 record heading into the bye week, an indication the team would at least be competitive in what has proven to be a very strong NFC North. The Bears lost to the Commanders on a Hail Mary (during which cornerback Tyrique Stevenson joined Eberflus in receiving considerable blame) in Week 8, however, and that marked the beginning of the current streak. Low-scoring defeats against the Cardinals and Patriots led to a play-calling change on offense, with Brown taking over from Shane Waldron as OC.

Williams’ play has generally improved since that move was made, but narrow losses to the Packers (on a blocked field goal), Vikings (in overtime) and Lions (during which the Bears mismanaged the situation at the end of the game and did not generate at least an attempt at a game-tying field goal) have now left Eberflus out of opportunities to rebound this season. Chicago sits at 4-8 on the year with the postseason no longer a realistic possibility. He defended the manner in which the Thanksgiving game ended yesterday before a brief media availability this morning. Shortly after multiple public appearances – during which, in both cases, he expressed a belief he would be retained – Eberflus is now out of the organization.

Three head coaching vacancies are now present in the NFL. The Jets moved on from Robert Saleh while Dennis Allen was dismissed by the Saints. Eberflus now joins them as a head coach with a defensive background on the lookout for a new opportunity. No shortage of candidates (particularly on the offensive side of the ball) will be involved in the 2025 hiring cycle, likely the earliest point at which Eberflus will join a new staff.

Brown made his NFL coaching debut in 2020 with the Rams. He was a member of Sean McVay‘s staff for three years before taking the Panthers’ OC gig last offseason. The 2023 campaign saw head coach Frank Reich fired amidst changes in play-calling duties with Brown. The latter spent much of the year at the helm, though, and the lack of development shown by quarterback Bryce Young helped lead to his departure. In a very short period of time, Brown has now ascended from passing game coordinator to OC and now, at least for a short-term spell, head coach.

From a big-picture perspective, today’s move represents the continuation of an unwelcomed trend regarding the HC-QB combination in Chicago. Mitch Trubisky spent one season with John Fox before a change on the sidelines was made. Nagy, in turn, spent one year with Fields in place before being dismissed at the end of the 2021 campaign. Now, Eberflus has received less than one full campaign following the Williams selection. The young passer’s development is of course the organization’s top priority, and finding a long-term coach to pair him with for 2025 and beyond will be critical in that process.

In all, Eberflus becomes the fifth Bears head coach to be fired since George McCaskey took over as chairman in 2011. Over that span, Chicago has posted a winning record only twice while cycling through three general managers and another three offensive coordinators. Finding stability will be key moving forward, but the latest attempt on that front will include a new voice on the sidelines.

Filed Under: Bears

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Bulls Free Agency: Random playoff hero, flamethrowing guard among best remaining fits
  • Aurora considers extending grocery tax that would otherwise expire
  • Bears TE Colston Loveland On Shoulder Recovery
  • Chicago Blackhawks will open the NHL season on the road vs. the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers
  • White Sox steal college bat in the MLB Draft that did something nobody else could do

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • CHGO
  • Chicago Tribune
  • Chicago Sun-Times
  • 247 Sports
  • 670 The Score
  • Bleacher Report
  • Chicago Sports Nation
  • Da Windy City
  • NBC Sports Chicago
  • OurSports Central
  • Sports Mockery
  • The Sports Daily
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today
  • WGN 9

Baseball

  • MLB.com - Cubs
  • MLB.com - White Sox
  • Bleed Cubbie Blue
  • Cubbies Crib
  • Cubs Insider
  • Inside The White Sox
  • Last Word On Baseball - Cubs
  • Last Word On Baseball - White Sox
  • MLB Trade Rumors - Cubs
  • MLB Trade Rumors - White Sox
  • South Side Sox
  • Southside Showdown
  • Sox Machine
  • Sox Nerd
  • Sox On 35th

Basketball

  • NBA.com
  • Amico Hoops
  • Basketball Insiders
  • Blog A Bull
  • High Post Hoops
  • Hoops Hype
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball
  • Pippen Ain't Easy
  • Pro Basketball Talk
  • Real GM

Football

  • Chicago Bears
  • Bears Gab
  • Bear Goggles On
  • Bears Wire
  • Da Bears Blog
  • Last Word On Pro Football
  • NFL Trade Rumors
  • Our Turf Football
  • Pro Football Focus
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Football Talk
  • Total Bears
  • Windy City Gridiron

Hockey

  • Blackhawk Up
  • Elite Prospects
  • Last Word On Hockey
  • My NHL Trade Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Talk
  • Second City Hockey
  • The Hockey Writers

Soccer

  • Hot Time In Old Town
  • Last Word On Soccer - Fire
  • Last Word On Soccer - Red Stars
  • MLS Multiplex

Colleges

  • Big East Coast Bias
  • Busting Brackets
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Inside NU
  • Inside The Irish
  • Last Word On College Football - Notre Dame
  • One Foot Down
  • Saturday Blitz
  • Slap The Sign
  • The Daily Northwestern
  • The Observer
  • UHND.com
  • Zags Blog

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in