Chicago Bears need to fire Matt Nagy and hire Jim Harbaugh

As Matt Nagy possibly nears the end of his tenure, the Chicago Bears may have an ideal replacement fall into their laps with Jim Harbaugh.

The Chicago Bears started the season 5-1, but they had to win some tougher games before people bought in. Four straight losses heading into their Week 11 bye dropped them to 5-5, and there are job security questions for head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace.

Any lingering perception of Nagy as a great offensive mind is gone. The Bears are 31st in the league in scoring offense (19.1 points per game) and total offense (300.9 yards per game). Nagy finally ceded play-calling to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor in Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings. That yielded six offensive points and 149 yards of offense.

The Bears could still make the playoffs this year, with the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, the Vikings and the Jacksonville Jaguars on the schedule between two matchups against the Green Bay Packers from here on out. A 9-7 record might be enough to sneak in as a Wild Card.

The Bears are probably stuck with Nick Foles through next year, but an upgrade at quarterback is in order. Calls for Nagy to be gone will be prevalent no matter how the season ends.

Jim Harbaugh might fall right into the Bears lap

Jim Harbaugh returned to the University of Michigan as head coach to much fanfare. His overall record is good (49-21 now into his sixth season), but his record against Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and ranked teams in general is dismal. Next year is the final year of his contract, barring an extension that feels unlikely right now.

A year after beating Rutgers 52-0, the Wolverines eked out a 48-42 overtime win over the Scarlet Knights on Saturday. A win is a win, and Rutgers might be a better than they were, but Michigan barely escaping is a indicator of this season under Harbaugh.

Harbaugh’s exit from the San Francisco 49ers was ugly, but there’s no denying the success he had. The 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game in each of his first three seasons (2011-2013), reaching the Super Bowl once, before things went awry with an 8-8 mark in 2014.

Harbaugh was a first-round pick by the Bears in 1987, and he spent his first seven seasons there (35-30 as the starting quarterback). Leaving aside the novelty of that, he has been a successful coach in the NFL and in general wherever he has been. It’s different that the NFL obviously, but his quick build at Stanford, from 4-8 in 2007 to 12-1 in 2010, is notable.

The Bears should be making a list of candidates to replace Nagy, even if a new GM makes the decision. The match is clear, as Harbaugh needs a change of scenery and the Bears need some credibility in a head coach.