Matt Nagy is the head coach of the Chicago Bears. How much longer that is the case will depend on the results of these final seven games of the 2020 season. After a 5-1 start, the team is 5-4 and one loss away from entering the bye week at .500. The primary reason for that slide is one of the worst offenses in the NFL. An offense Nagy himself put together since he arrived in 2018. So it’s hardly a shock many think he’s on the hot seat. So if he’s gone, who replaces him? Remember the name Pat Fitzgerald.
For those who don’t follow college football that much, this is a name that has generated buzz for years. Fitzgerald took over his alma matter way back in 2006. Since then he’s produced a record of 103-79. Not only is he the longest-tenured coach in the program’s history but also the most successful. Thus far he has seven winning seasons to his credit and has reached and won four of his last five bowl games.
Now his Wildcats are a perfect 4-0 in 2020.
So it’s no surprise the guy is generating interest from NFL teams. Remember he’s only 45-years old. To be that young and have over 14 years of head coaching experience is exceedingly rare. Some wonder if he is anxious for a new challenge. While he unquestionably loves Northwestern, belief is he may consider a jump to the pros if the right opportunity comes up.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, that opportunity is the Bears job becoming available. Fitzgerald is an Orland Park native. He’s been a Bears fan since he was a kid. It is likely a personal dream for him to coach the franchise he grew up watching. Where it gets intriguing is the interest might be mutual.
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“Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald has been coveted by other NFL teams in the past, most recently by the Green Bay Packers in 2019 prior to hiring Matt LaFleur. Fitzgerald removed himself from the process after being contacted by the team, and it would take something close to a utopian situation to get him out of Evanston, sources have long contended … but coaching the home town Chicago Bears just might be that situation…
…If ownership does make a coaching change in 2021, you can guarantee that Fitzgerald is the first call, with him long considered a potential coach there by many within that family.”
No arguing Pat Fitzgerald is a good football coach
Now it’s acknowledged La Canfora has a spotty history when it comes to Bears insider stuff. Still, it’s something that can’t be ignored. Keep in mind the man doesn’t exactly run Alabama or Oregon. He’s not in charge of an elite program. He doesn’t bring in 5-star recruits too often. Yet that hasn’t stopped him from consistently churning out winning seasons and sending a lot of young men to the NFL. Since taking over, no fewer than 13 Northwestern products have made it to the NFL. This included special teams ace Sherrick McManis and Brett Favre’s career killer Corey Wootton.
Fitzgerald has made the most of the talent he’s been able to get. The guy is a good coach. So what might happen if he has access to better players? That would be a major opportunity were he to make the jump to the NFL. Being able to sign or draft the best of the best is always the sort of challenge any true coach lives for.
All of this hinges on the next month and a half.
Nagy has no plans to relinquish that job willingly. His sense of urgency is obvious. The man knows he has to win. Hence why he gave up play-calling duties to Bill Lazor. Whatever it takes, he’s ready to do it. That is why many still consider him a good head coach. Or if not that definitely a good leader. Guys like that are easy to cheer for. Yet as always it comes down to the bottom line. He needs to win.
Pat Fitzgerald has a sweet gig. Odds are he’ll remain the man at Northwestern until he retires. However, things can always change. He already fulfilled one dream by getting that job. The Bears might represent that final boss in any video game. The last hurdle to conquer. Nobody has managed to make this team a consistent success in years. How fitting would it be if he, a local kid who grew up watching them, made that happen?