Mike McCarthy's travel plans point to a clear favorite for Chicago Bears job

The Chicago Bears are pulling all the stops out for now free agent coach Mike McCarthy. They were rumored to be interested in McCarthy dating back to last week after they requested to interview him. But Jerry Jones left the Bears on read. 

They didn’t waste any time once he was free to interview, setting up an in-person interview and even chartered him a flight, which according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN, isn’t customary for the team. Their only other in-person interview was with Ron Rivera. 

Simply put, the Bears aren’t just interested in McCarthy, they’re treating him like he’s a frontrunner for the job. And you can’t blame them with his pedigree and ability to bring out the best in his quarterbacks. 

Chicago will be very different from Dallas. For one, he’ll actually have control and be in the know of what’s going on without being micromanaged by an overbearing owner. And two, he’ll be dealing with a young quarterback. When he inherited Dak, he was younger, but had still been in the NFL a while. 

He hasn’t worked with a young quarterback since leading Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on a Super Bowl run. Does he have what it takes to work with an unpolished quarterback and turn them into a future hall of famer like he did with Rodgers? 

It looks like the Bears are banking on it. And in their eyes its a gamble worth taking. 

The Chicago Bears are seriously considering Mike McCarthy, leaving another offensive-minded coach in the coaching carousel

From a leadership standpoint, it makes sense for the Bears to be looking at a head coach with experience. Ben Johnson has been the name circulating as the Bears’ next leader, but their absurd request for Johnson either turned him off or made it clear they weren’t really interested in him as a coach. 

And if that’s the case, you have to wonder what the Bears are thinking. It’s absolutely the coaches job to manage the locker room. And finding that fit is critical. But last I checked, Dan Campbell has run that locker room in Detroit near flawlessly. Johnson would most likely adopt some of those same values with his next team. 

There’s no guarantee Johnson succeeds in Chicago. So they may not know what they’re missing out on. But one thing’s for sure, the way Johnson has turned the Lions into an offensive powerhouse, that seems too good to pass up. 

And McCarthy, while having a lot of success in Dallas, only has one playoff win in five seasons to show for it. Unless the Bears are satisfied with mediocrity, I don’t see how McCarthy has the edge. 

But they see something in him and more importantly, see what he can do with a talented quarterback. They’re banking on him and Caleb Williams immediately getting in sync. And it just might work out for them.