New Frontrunner Has Emerged For Chicago Bears Head Coaching Job

The Chicago Bears job is one of the more high profile positions in the entire NFL.

So far there have been a few candidates linked to the Bears head coaching gig, one being Brian Flores, another one being former Chicago Bears player Leslie Frazier.

Now we have three more, with one possible frontrunner.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell and former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson have emerged as the current favorites in Chicago’s coaching search.

It’s interesting to note that Caldwell turned down interview requests with both the Raiders and Vikings, according to Graziano, which indicates he could be holding out for the Bears job.

According to multiple sources, the Raiders and Vikings both reached out to former Colts and Lions coach Jim Caldwell this week to request to interview him, and he declined both requests. This indicates strongly that Caldwell believes he will get one of the other open jobs, and my understanding is that he’s in the mix in both Chicago and Jacksonville and already is reaching out to candidates for his staff.

If I had to bet right now, I’d say Caldwell ends up in Chicago, where former Colts general manager Bill Polian is helping direct the search, though it’s obviously interesting that Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is scheduled for a second interview there.

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NFL head-coach openings: Latest buzz, rumors and candidates for Giants, Bears and Raiders, including Dan Quinn, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Caldwell – ESPN https://t.co/VExWXXjT8A via @GoogleNews

— Geoff Love (@gdlcolorado) January 21, 2022

Graziano also mentioned Frazier and Pederson are names to watch with the Bears.

The Bears were interviewing Bills defensive coordinator and former Vikings coach Leslie Frazier on Friday, and I’m told there’s still support for Frazier in their building. Former Eagles coach Doug Pederson is also someone to watch in Chicago if Caldwell doesn’t turn out to be its guy.

Not sure Jim Caldwell will move the needle much with Bears fans, but outside of Jim Harbaugh,  no one will.

Caldwell did have winning  seasons with the Lions 3 out of 4 years he was their coach, which is no easy feat..

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