Bears reportedly eyeing Darren Rizzi for special teams coordinator

The Chicago Bears are hiring Ben Johnson to be their next head coach, and they are wasting no time in filling out the rest of the coaching staff. According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Bears are heavily pursuing former New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi to be their special teams coordinator.

Rizzi has been a long-time special teams coordinator in the NFL and has ties to Johnson. He broke into the league with the Miami Dolphins when Johnson was there and was their special teams coordinator from 2011 to 2018. He also held the title of associate head coach from 2017 to 2018.

In 2019, he joined the Saints as their special teams coordinator and also became the assistant head coach. After head coach Dennis Allen was fired in the middle of the 2024 season, Rizzi took over as interim head coach and went 3-5.

Rizzi is highly respected as a special teams coordinator and has interest elsewhere from across the league, according to Schefter. He's in the mix for a head coaching job, but if he doesn't land one, the Bears could be the ultimate destination. It would also give Johnson another coach on his staff with years of experience, who has also been a head coach at one point during his career. The Bears are reportedly also in the driver's seat to land Allen as their defensive coordinator.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears reportedly eyeing Darren Rizzi for special teams coordinator