Sometimes the best revelations come from the most unexpected places. Matt Eberflus was named the 17th head coach of the Chicago Bears last month. A decision that was met with some surprise. Many didn’t consider him the favorite over more prominent names like Dan Quinn and Jim Caldwell. Yet after meeting with GM Ryan Poles, the decision became a foregone conclusion. Or at least it seemed that way from the Bears’ perspective.
According to Adam Jahns of The Athletic, there was a tiny wrinkle in the plan. They weren’t the only team that had offered Eberflus a head coaching job. The Jacksonville Jaguars had already done the same. So when he got the news from the Bears, he ended up sitting down with his wife at home, and they had a conversation about the decision. After a half-hour of deliberation, they knew the right course of action.
It was 9 a.m. in the Eberflus home and a decision was about to be made. Eberflus discussed what’s next with his wife, Kelly.
“When I found out I was the Bears coach, it was me and my wife,” Eberflus said. “Obviously, Jacksonville is in play. Chicago was in play. And you’re going, ‘A-OK, I need about 30 minutes.’ So I’m sitting down there with Kelly. … We looked at the options. And we said, ‘OK, I’ll go with Bears.’”
This flies in the face of what so many have been saying for weeks.
Experts kept saying left and right that the Jacksonville job was a premium spot for a head coach. A former #1 overall pick in Trevor Lawrence at quarterback. Loads of cap space and draft picks—a warm climate in Florida with no state income taxes. Compared to the Bears, it wasn’t even a contest. Apparently, nobody told Matt Eberflus because he went with Chicago anyway. This suggests he likes the setup there far better.
It shouldn’t be a surprise. For one, the Bears have plenty of talent on defense to work with. Something important to note, given he is a defensive guy. Then there is also the GM dynamic. Eberflus instantly connected with Poles. The two men seemed to share the same vision for this football team. His other choice was Trent Baalke, a man with a somewhat dubious reputation regarding relationships with coaches.
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Now here the Bears are with most of their staff already in place. Jacksonville? They still haven’t found their head coach yet. A surefire sign they thought they were getting Eberflus.
