5 candidates for the Bears head coach job, including a 73-year-old Pete Carroll

The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus in November. His interim replacement, Thomas Brown, is 0-3 since taking the reins. Each of those losses came by at least 17 points.

Suffice to say, the Bears will enter the 2025 NFL offseason in search of a new head coach. This December, an unusual name surfaced in Chicago's search -- the former coach of the team the Bears face in Week 17, Pete Carroll. Carroll led the Seattle Seahawks to nearly 150 total wins and the franchise's only Super Bowl victory before retiring ahead of the 2024 season. Now he may be interested in an opportunity to turn Caleb Williams into the cornerstone Chicago badly needs him to be.

Whether or not Carroll gets a fair shot at the job is up to Bears management. He won't be the only one in the running. Here are five candidates who likely have high placement on Chicago's wish list when it comes to replacing Eberflus in 2025.

1. Pete Carroll, former Seattle Seahawks head coach

Carroll won a playoff game with Matt Hasselbeck. He turned an undersized third round pick into a perennial Pro Bowler and world champion. Now he'd get to work with Williams and a defense that has slumped in 2024 but finished 2023 as one of the league's most formidable units. Turning around the Bears would cement his legend as a leader who could win just about anywhere.

2. Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

Johnson is considered the front runner for the job thanks to his reputation as an offensive innovator. His wide-ranging game plans proved the Lions could score by grinding opponents into dust on the ground or dazzling them with trick plays. In the process he turned Jared Goff from a Los Angeles Rams castoff into an MVP candidate and made himself the hottest coordinator in the game. Williams would present a different kind of challenge -- and unlock new pages in Johnson's War and Peace-sized playbook.

3. Kellen Moore, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator

Moore rose quickly after retiring after six seasons as a seldom-used backup quarterback. He was the Dallas Cowboys' coordinator at age 30, molding Dak Prescott's offense into a top six unit three times in four seasons in Texas. While his lone year with the Los Angeles Chargers produced modest results, he's rebuilt his value with the Eagles this fall. He's proven he can thrive with dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks; pairing him with Williams could unlock each's true potential.

4. Liam Coen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator

Coen, a Rhode Island high school football legend and I-AA national title runner up as UMass's starting quarterback, has emerged as a reliable offensive mind across 15 years as an assistant. Four years with the Rams helped give him the requisite Sean McVay experience that turns a young coach into a rising star. More importantly, he helped convince NFL teams Will Levis was a viable pro quarterback as playcaller at Kentucky (2021, 2023) and is currently keeping Baker Mayfield in butter brickle with the Bucs.

5. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame head coach

Let's wrap with a curveball -- something you can never rule out when it comes to the Bears football decisions. Freeman has built Notre Dame back up from good to great in his three-plus seasons since taking over for Brian Kelly. His stock has never been higher than it is in 2024, however -- an absolutely wild statement considering he lost to Northern Illinois at home earlier this year.

Still, Freeman has the combination of disciplined players, solid play-calling and the admiration and respect necessary to command a locker room. The jump to the pros would be a big challenge, but a return to the franchise that drafted him as a fifth round linebacker in 2009 (he failed to record a snap in the regular season) could be the jolt Chicago needs.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: 5 candidates for the Bears head coach job, including a 73-year-old Pete Carroll