People thought Brad Childress was one-and-done after last season. He came in as an offensive consultant to help Matt Nagy install the new offense around Mitch Trubisky. However, he soon departed for a job in the upstart Alliance of American Football. That did not last long. After just a couple of months he resigned from his post.
The reason for it isn’t known, but given the league folded before completing a full season, it isn’t difficult to take a guess. After that, the 62-year old was in limbo. It’s uncertain where his career would go next. As it turns out, he decided to jump right back on board with the Bears. Once again he’s a senior offensive assistant. This time feels more permanent.
An interesting question is why? What made him so ready and willing to return? It appears there’s a bit of a story behind that as he told Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. One that may come as a shock to Bears fans out there.
“I told Matt the first time I came, No. 1, it’s Matt. I love Matt as a person. Probably wouldn’t do it with anybody else besides Matt,” Childress said. “And No. 2, I’m a lifelong Chicago Bears fan. I grew up in Aurora. My in-laws are 90 and 91. My dad is 88 and lives in Aurora. My mom is 85 and lives part-time in Aurora. It’s natural to come back here and be with my family. As a matter of fact my wife’s in Aurora seeing her parents today. It’s perfect.”
Brad Childress actually fulfills a dream being a Chicago Bears coach
Nobody would’ve thought this was the case about Childress. Only because of his background. This man was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for five seasons. During that time he cost Chicago in some pretty big games. He also spent a large chunk of his NFL career working for Andy Reid, a former Packers coach. So it was beyond hard to envision him liking the Bears.
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Yet that’s the case. Not only is he a native of Aurora, he also went to school at Eastern Illinois. The same as Ryan Pace. If that weren’t enough, he spent the first six years of his coaching career at the University of Illinois working with running backs and wide receivers. His ties to the team are strong.
He was at the fateful game where Gale Sayers tore up his knee, shortening his Hall of Fame career. He attended QB camps hosted by former Bear Bobby Douglass. It seems almost like fate that Childress was meant to coach for this team at some point. This should mark the first time he’s done it for a full season. That should only help them, especially on offense.
