The Chicago Bears officially confirmed their interview with former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, with the conversation marking a departure from previous talks.
McCarthy is the 12th candidate the Bears have interviewed during their extensive coaching search, and the sixth who has head coaching experience in the NFL, along with Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll, Ron Rivera, Arthur Smith and Thomas Brown.
What was notable about his interview was that, according to multiple reports, he flew to Chicago to talk with the Bears in-person, marking just the second in-person interview the team has conducted.
Most of the Bears’ conversations so far have been conducted virtually, with league rules requiring that currently employed coaches interview in that fashion.
McCarthy was most recently the coach of the Cowboys, working in Dallas for five seasons. After three consecutive 12-5 seasons and playoff appearances, McCarthy’s team went 7-10 in an injury ravaged season.
His contract with the Cowboys expired at season’s end, but the team had an exclusive negotiating window with McCarthy. The Cowboys rejected a request by the Bears to interview McCarthy during that window, but were unable to come to an agreement with him, allowing him to become a coaching free agent.
In his NFL coaching career, McCarthy has a record of 174-112-2, and won the 2010 Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers. He led the Packers to eight consecutive playoff appearances, but was fired 12 games into the 2018 season.
