CHICAGO — The Bears are casting a wide net in their search for the 18th head coach in franchise history as a critical offseason for the team gets underway.
One potential candidate will have to be taken off the interview list — at least for the next several days, if not for good.
According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Dallas Cowboys have denied permission to the Bears to interview their head coach, Mike McCarthy. Schefter reported earlier this week the Bears had sought permission to interview McCarthy and were awaiting a response from the Cowboys.
However, the Cowboys’ denial doesn’t necessarily mean McCarthy is out as a candidate for the Bears. They may just have to wait a few days if they still want to interview him.
According to NFL.com, sources say McCarthy’s contract with the Cowboys expires on Jan. 14, so speculation has been rife that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will part ways with McCarthy by not renewing his contract.
The Cowboys would have to grant permission for other teams to interview McCarthy before his contract expires. So Schefter’s report that they’ve denied such permission to the Bears could mean Jones is planning to keep his head coach by extending his contract.
But if McCarthy’s contract is allowed to expire in just under a week, then he would be free to interview with other teams and accept another job at any time. So it’s possible he will be a coaching free agent soon, meaning the Bears and any other team would be free to interview him.
The Bears certainly have plenty of familiarity with McCarthy, who was head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2006-18. He led them to the Super Bowl XLV title following the 2010 season, which included an NFC Championship Game win over the Bears at Soldier Field.
After being fired by the Packers late in the 2018 season, McCarthy was hired by the Cowboys prior to the 2020 season. After an inaugural 6-10 campaign, he led Dallas to three straight 12-win seasons and postseason berths from 2021-23. But the Cowboys never advanced past the second round, and this season they crashed to a 7-10 record and missed the playoffs.
The Bears have assembled a six-person panel to find their next head coach, with general manager Ryan Poles being the final decision-maker on who gets the job.
The panel also includes Chairman George McCaskey, President Kevin Warren, Chief Human Resources Officer Liz Geist, Director of Football Administration Matt Feinstein and Senior Director of Player Personnel Jeff King. Assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham will also be included occasionally as he pursues other general manager opportunities.
As of Tuesday, Chicago has interviewed interim head coach Thomas Brown and requested to interview 13 other candidates — Joe Brady, Pete Carroll, Brian Flores, Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson, Mike Kafka, McCarthy, Todd Monken, Drew Petzing, David Shaw, Arthur Smith, Anthony Weaver and Mike Vrabel.