The Chicago Bears have yet to make a strong move on their vacant offensive coordinator position thus far. Details are sparse. From what has been gathered, it appears they have an interest in two names. One is former New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and the other is Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka. Both have ties to head coach Matt Nagy through his mentor Andy Reid. Both have strong quarterback backgrounds.
After the recent string of head coaching hires around the NFL, it appeared as if the Bears could afford to take their time. Most of the offensive coordinator jobs had been filled and those that weren’t don’t seem like obvious landing spots for either man. However, as is so often the case, things can change fast in this league. That proved true again when the Philadelphia Eagles suddenly announced they would be firing offensive coordinator Mike Groh.
This is significant because the Eagles basically have a similar situation to the Bears. A head coach in Doug Pederson with strong ties to Reid. To say nothing of the fact that Shurmur already spent a number of years in Philadelphia as an offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2015. The organization is very familiar with his work. They could easily make a strong push to bring him back.
Eagles may force the Bears’ hand on Pat Shurmur
Now nothing is guaranteed here. There is a possibility the Eagles may choose to promote running backs coach Duce Staley into the offensive coordinator spot. Something that is far from hard to believe given the great work he’s done for them. It’s the next natural step. That said, the mere threat of the Eagles making inroads to talk to Shurmur creates an uncomfortable situation for the Bears.
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If they’re truly interested in making him their offensive coordinator, this news will force them to speed up the timetable. Are they willing to risk losing him in the name of speaking with Kafka, whom they can’t interview until after the divisional round of the playoffs? If not, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if the two sides began to close in on a deal shortly. The longer the silence goes on though, the more likely it becomes the Bears are willing to take the gamble.
