Lovie Smith Prepared to Sit Out 2013 Season

With only one head coaching vacancy left, former Bears head coach Lovie Smith is preparing to sit the 2013 season out. Michael C. Wright from ESPNChigcao reported that if no team approached Smith offering a head coaching job, he’s going to skip the 2013 season and wait until next year’s round of firings open up new opportunities.

"If former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith fails to land a head-coaching job elsewhere, he’s prepared to sit out the 2013 season because he’s not interested in any of the coordinator jobs, according to a source with knowledge of the situation."

There was some hope for Smith that he’d get a call from either the Eagles, Jaguars or Cardinals but both Jacksonville and Philadelphia filled their vacancies in the last 48 hours and it’s looking like the Cardinals are about to hire Bruce Arians.

Smith had a decent run with the Bears, but he was plagued by the inability to make the postseason after earning a Super Bowl berth over five years ago. During his time with the Bears, Smith led the team to three NFC North titles, two trips to the NFC Championship game and a record of 81-63 over a period from 2004 until his firing at the end of 2012.

Don’t cry too much for Smith though, as his 2013 salary was set to pay him roughly $5 million. Should Smith choose to sit on his couch all year long, he’s going to get paid that money, meaning he won’t be begging for change just because no one offered him the job he wanted.

Ron Rivera is on thin ice in Carolina, as is Dennis Allen in Oakland and Rex Ryan with the Jets. If any of those three coaches perform poorly in 2013, Smith could be getting a pleasant phone call this time next year.