Chicago Bears snub Mike McCarthy for flashy head coaching candidate

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy appeared to be a front-runner for the Chicago Bears head coaching gig, but the team ultimately went a different way.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was considered a front-runner for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy as soon as he and the Cowboys officially parted ways.

Chicago expressed interest in McCarthy while he was under contract with the Cowboys, but Jerry Jones declined the Bears' request to interview the head coach.

The Bears reached out to McCarthy again when he became a free agent and interviewed him in person, bringing out all of the bells and whistles, The Bears reportedly flew McCarthy into Chicago on a private jet which is "a departure from previous team protocol."

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Things seemed to be going his way. Then, the Washington Commanders happened and upset the Detroit Lions, making offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the hottest name on the head coaching market, immediately available to hire.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott talks to head coach Mike McCarthy before the game against the Washington Commanders. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Chicago jumped on the opportunity to land Johnson and that was all she wrote.

In 2011, McCarthy led the team to a win in Super Bowl XLV over his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers at AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys. He holds an overall regular season record of 169-104-2 in his 17 NFL seasons.

McCarthy has worked with star quarterbacks like Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Alex Smith, and Aaron Rodgers throughout his career, so there it would have been exciting to see what magic he could work with former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.

But, for now, well have to wait and see if and when he gets a new gig.

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