Good news: the chicago bears former head coach has officially announced his return.
According to reports, Matt Eberflus will return to lead the Chicago Bears for a third season in 2024.
There were rumors earlier in the season that Eberflus was under pressure, but Chicago has won four of its last five games, so it looks like he will be back in the fold next season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter mentioned that the Bears would prefer some consistency going forward because they have had a lot of change in recent years, including having four different head coaches in the last ten years.
Under Eberflus’s first season in charge, the Bears finished with a league-worst 3-14 record, although that dismal campaign may have contributed to the team’s turnaround.
After trading it to the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver D.J. Moore and several draft picks—including one that ended up being the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft because the Panthers were the worst team in the league this season—Chicago owned the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
With one game remaining in his rookie year under Eberflus, Moore was having a great year, hauling in 92 receptions for 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns. Quarterback Justin Fields made him his clear top target, which presented the Bears’ brass with a difficult dilemma this offseason.
Chicago has two options: either hold onto Fields for another season to see if he improves, or spend the first overall pick to get a new quarterback for the team, such Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of North Carolina, or Jayden Daniels of LSU.
The Bears can trade the top overall pick for the second straight year, accumulate additional picks, and possibly still select a standout player at a different position, such as Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., to complement Fields and Moore, if they decide to keep Fields.
Given how well they have performed recently following an 0-4 and 2-7 start to the season, consistency might be the Bears’ best option.
Maybe Kevin Warren, the team president, will decide whether to keep Eberflus based on how the Bears perform against the rival Green Bay Packers in the final game of the 2023 regular season.
Unless a few other things work out in Green Bay’s favor, a win would effectively eliminate the hated Packers from the playoffs for the Bears.
It would also give the Bears their first eight-win season since 2020 and a respectable 8-9 record.
Warren will ultimately decide whether to keep or fire Eberflus, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Warren recently stated that he enjoys the “energy” around the squad, but he hasn’t made any clear indication of what he would do in this regard.
Russini continued, “Warren has been called “methodical,” and since he has assessed the club in great detail this season, she doesn’t think the outcome of Sunday’s game will significantly affect his choice.
Whatever transpires on Sunday, the Bears have improved significantly in every area in Eberflus’ second season, and the next step might be a postseason return the following year.
