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John Fox hired as head coach of Chicago Bears

By Patrick Schmidt

Nov 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach John Fox during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach John Fox during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Bears have hired former Denver Broncos head coach John Fox and signed him to a four-year deal.

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John Fox fell into the laps of the Chicago Bears after he and the Denver Broncos mutually agreed to part ways after they were eliminated from the playoffs and the two agreed to a four-year deal as the successor to Marc Trestman in Chicago, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report first reported on Thursday that Fox would be the Bears head coach.

The Bears also interviewed former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles who ended up taking the job with the New York Jets as well as Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Broncos offensive coordinator (under Fox) Adam Gase and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.

But Fox was their man and the most accomplished and qualified to take over a Bears team who was one of the bigger disappointments in the NFL in 2014, finishing with a 5-11 record after an 8-8 year in Trestman’s first season in 2013.

Fox won 46 games in four seasons with the Broncos and won the AFC West each year, including a trip to the Super Bowl last year where his team was defeated by the Seahawks. This was his second trip to the Super Bowl after he led the Carolina Panthers to the game in 2003.

He has a career record of 119-89 in 13 seasons with seven trips to the postseason, so he brings instant credibility to the Bears which they didn’t have with Trestman who left the Canadian Football League to replace Lovie Smith. He lost control of the locker room in his second year when nothing seemed to go right for the Bears.

Fox will have the respect of his players and has an extensive network that should bring in a competent staff to work under him for the next four years in Chicago.

Kyle Shanahan has been mentioned as a possible candidate to be his offensive coordinator and Former Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen has been rumored to be Fox’s preferred choice as defensive coordinator.

The Bears haven’t been to the playoffs in the last four years so the pressure will be on Fox to get them back in the postseason and getting quarterback Jay Cutler back on track after a miserable 2014 that saw him benched for one game.

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