The Chicago Bears are one of a handful of teams looking for a head coach this offseason. They’ve already requested to interview multiple candidates, including Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson (offensive) and Aaron Glenn (defensive).
There’s another name in the mix for the Bears job: Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy.
Chicago has requested to interview McCarthy but the Cowboys coach is currently in an exclusive negotiating window with Dallas. They have until Jan. 14 to negotiate a new contract or he will be a free agent.
The Cowboys have not made a decision on whether or not to keep the Super Bowl-winning coach. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones endorsed McCarthy in an interview with 105.7 The Fan ahead of Week 18.
‘Well, I feel good about Mike McCarthy,’ Jones said, per Cowboys.com. ‘The main thing is, I like the job that he’s done, it’s unfortunate we’ve had the year that we’ve had, but I feel good about Mike.’
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The Bears enter the offseason with the reigning No. 1 overall pick — quarterback Caleb Williams — as well as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft and the fifth-most salary cap space in the league.
Who are the Bears interviewing for head coach?
In addition to Johnson, Glenn and McCarthy, here are the other candidates the Bears have requested to interview for their vacant head coach position:
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken
Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith
New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka
Mike McCarthy contract
McCarthy signed a five-year contract with the Cowboys ahead of the 2020 NFL season. He has not signed an extension since then and his contract will expire on Jan. 14. Dallas has until then to negotiate a new deal.
Mike McCarthy stats
McCarthy has gone 49-35 in five seasons with the Cowboys and 1-3 in the playoffs.
Prior to that, McCarthy went 125-77-2 over 13 years with the Green Bay Packers. He went 10-8 in the playoffs including a run to a Super Bowl championship in the 2010 NFL season.