To put it simply, it’s been a rough season for the Chicago Bears. There were high hopes for 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams’ first season. A preseason darling for media and bettors alike, Chicago’s win total of 8.5 was the most-bet over by bettors at many sportsbooks, including BetMGM. And through six weeks, things looked good. Chicago headed into its Week 7 bye at 4-2, coming off of two blowout wins (26-10 over Panthers, 35-16 over Jaguars). And then it all fell apart.
Who can forget the fateful Hail Mary heard around the Windy City in Week 8? And while there’s certainly no telling how the season could’ve gone if the Bears had simply batted down that pass and moved to 5-2, we’ve seen how it’s played out since.
After losing six straight games, Chicago finally fired head coach Matt Eberflus after another late-game meltdown resulted in the Bears running out of time and not attempting a field goal to tie the game against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, despite having a timeout remaining. And that was after firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron a few weeks earlier.
Thomas Brown has stepped up as the interim head coach, but Chicago’s once-promising season has now turned ugly, with the Bears once again playing meaningless football games in early December.
Which leads us to the question on every Chicago fan’s mind: Who would you bet will be coaching this team in 2025?
First, we needed some odds, so The Athletic asked Borgata sportsbook director Thomas Gable for some hypothetical Bears next coach odds (since the wager isn’t available at any major U.S. sportsbook).
Gable installed Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury as the favorite to land the job.
“He obviously has a history with Caleb at USC,” Gable told The Athletic. “I’d heard he was talking to the Bears in the offseason, but I’m not quite sure what happened in those conversations. With the success he’s had with Jayden Daniels in his rookie season, I could see Chicago being interested.”
Now, the entertaining part. We asked our very own Jon Greenberg how confident he was in each candidate Gable named becoming Eberflus’ successor. If he had a $100 to wager among the candidates, how would he do it? He could go all-in on one candidate or spread it around on a few names.
Here is how Greenberg distributed his $100, along with his reasoning:
Kliff Kingsbury +250
Kingsbury has been a losing head coach in both college and the NFL, so he would fit perfectly with the current culture at Halas Hall. This is an organization constantly reminding us how not to learn from failure, so maybe Kingsbury is the next guy to try to prove that to be true. He’s the favorite because he has Caleb Williams connections and a vivid offensive mind. He wouldn’t be my first choice, but I also wouldn’t bet against the Bears doing it and it backfiring on them. Bet: $25
Mike Vrabel +400
What does “leader of men” mean? Our Dianna Russini has been trying to sort that out. I guess Vrabel fits the archetype, right? Physically, he looks like someone that football players wouldn’t want to cross and he carries a bravado that you can’t bluff. Plus, he’s played at a high level. I think he’s too alpha for Halas Hall, which sounds like a dumb thing to say unless you’ve covered (or closely followed) this team like I have. Bet: Pass
Ben Johnson +450
Ipswich Town is near the bottom of the table in the Premier League, so maybe the team and Johnson would consider another transfer despite him just getting there? Oh, we’re talking about the football coach in Detroit. He’s been a hot name, so I’m a little surprised he’s not first on this list, but maybe it’s because he turned down jobs last season to stay with the Lions. He’s been rumored to be interested in the Bears, but with the “leader of men” stuff floating around (Bears receiver DJ Moore attributed it to GM Ryan Poles, which seems important), I’m wondering if Johnson has the persona to fit the job description. Still, he’s the conventional wisdom pick. Bet: $25
Joe Brady +500
Meh. Brady rode Joe Burrow’s coattails to a plum NFL gig in Carolina and washed out of a dysfunctional situation quickly. Now he’s the offensive coordinator for Josh Allen in Buffalo and we’re supposed to believe he’s head coaching material? I’m sure he’s a fine coach, but I’m surprised the odds are this low. Bet: Pass
Thomas Brown +800
Given all that is at stake for Poles, Williams and the Bears organization, this isn’t the time to take a chance on Brown, who has been promoted from passing-game coordinator to offensive coordinator to head coach because of dysfunction and failure. However, the ex-player is an engaging speaker and coach, and he has that swagger to him. People gravitate toward him and I could certainly see the Bears promoting him as their Mike Tomlin, especially if he wins a couple of games down the stretch. An NFL executive joked with me that if Brown coaches the Bears to their first Sunday road win since 2021 (seriously, that’s a stat), he’ll get a seven-year deal. Bet: $15
Aaron Glenn +1200
Glenn gets overshadowed by Johnson, his fellow Lions coordinator, but he seems undervalued here. Glenn was a Pro Bowl cornerback in New York, so he has the big market experience, and he’s been grinding as a coach since 2014. Glenn had a bunch of interviews last year, and given the Lions’ success, he should get more this year. Will the Bears be one of the teams that shows interest? Bet: $10
Brian Flores +2000
Reading up on him, I think Flores, the defensive coordinator in Minnesota, is the right guy for this team at this time. Flores’ success in Minnesota is clear but the big mark against him is he didn’t have a good relationship with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa while he was the head coach in Miami. Tagovailoa opened up about his issues with Flores and the coach responded by admitting he made mistakes in his first head coaching gig. Given that Williams is the franchise cornerstone, you’d think that would eliminate him, but it would depend on the interview. I’d definitely ask him what he gleaned from Mike Tomlin in his stopover in Pittsburgh.
Another potential issue: he’s still suing the league and multiple teams for racial bias in hiring practices and I could see that turning off George McCaskey. Bet: $25
Should the Chicago Bears make a run at Bill Belichick? 🤔
🎧 Listen: https://t.co/dN9IHFjEyM pic.twitter.com/WCB66NAyZw
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 4, 2024
Bill Belichick +7500
I wish we lived in a world where Belichick coached the Bears, but I don’t see that happening for a variety of reasons. This just isn’t that type of organization. I’m not sure there are too many teams willing to cede total football operations control to a 72-year-old Belichick, even if he’s the best coach in league history. Bet: Pass
